Battle Circus
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Battle Circus
Plot
In his only MGM film, Humphrey Bogart plays the commanding officer of a M*A*S*H unit during the Korean War. Bogart runs his operation by the book, though he can take time out now and again for compassion. When nurse June Allyson shows up, Bogie is irritated by her foolhardiness and misplaced idealism. Need we tell you that the two "opposites" eventually fall in love? Keenan Wynn steals the show as the camp's wheeler-dealer, a sort of ancestor for such future insouciant M*A*S*H characters as Hawkeye, Trapper John and B.J. Hunnicutt. According to Hollywood scuttlebutt, Humphrey Bogart liked writer/director Richard Brooks because he could walk all over him. Brooks doesn't appear too servile in his disciplined handling of the film, though one can detect a slight lack of enthusiasm on his part. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviReview
Those who watch Battle Circus anticipating another M*A*S*H – whether the film or the TV series – will be disappointed. Circus shares its setting with the latter cultural touchstone, but that's about it. Circus is lacking in wit, bite and insight – not just compared to M*A*S*H (a comparison that, while unfair, is also inevitable) but to other films in general. Instead of taking advantage of its unique setting and the potentially rich story and characters that could be developed therein, Circus settles for being a fairly routine war story/romance. Indeed, it's the romance part of the film which comes to dominate and accounts for much of its weaknesses. There's simply nothing original at the center of this tale of two opposites learning to attract. It doesn't help matters that half of the central duo – June Allyson- is miscast and in over her head here, or that the other half Humphrey Bogart is only half trying. It also doesn't help that the chemistry between the two is completely absent. Modern audiences may also be disturbed by the harassing manner in which Bogart treats Allyson. Circus isn't a total loss; Richard Brooks brings appropriate tension to a number of scenes and even manages to make the "grenade in the operating room" sequence bristle with life. But overall, Circus is rather tedious. ~ Craig Butler, RoviCast
- Humphrey Bogart - Maj. Jeb Webbe
- June Allyson - Lt. Ruth McCara
- Keenan Wynn - Sgt. Orvil Statt
- Robert Keith - Lt. Col. Hillary Whalters
- William Campbell - Capt. John Rustford
Credit
James Basevi - Art Director, Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Al Jennings - First Assistant Director, Richard Brooks - Director, George Boemler - Editor, Lennie Hayton - Composer (Music Score), William J. Tuttle - Makeup, John Alton - Cinematographer, Pandro S. Berman - Producer, Alfred E. Spencer - Set Designer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Arnold A. Gillespie - Special Effects, Laura Kerr - Screen Story, Alan Rivkin - Screen Story, Richard Brooks - Screenwriter| Battle Beyond the Sun (1963 Film), Battle Beyond the Stars (1980 Film) | |
| Battle Creek Brawl (1980 Film), Battle Cry (1955 Film) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Battle Circus (film)
| Battle Circus | |
|---|---|
 1953 film poster |
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| Directed by | Richard Brooks |
| Produced by | Pandro S. Berman |
| Written by | Richard Brooks Allen Rivkin Laura Kerr |
| Starring | Humphrey Bogart June Allyson Keenan Wynn |
| Music by | Lennie Hayton |
| Cinematography | John Alton |
| Editing by | George Boemler |
| Distributed by | MGM |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Battle Circus is a 1953 film directed by Richard Brooks, who also wrote the screenplay. It stars Humphrey Bogart and June Allyson, and costars Keenan Wynn and Robert Keith.
The film is set in Korea during the Korean War. Bogart (in his sole film for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer[1]) plays a surgeon and commander of Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) 66, with Allyson playing a newly-arrived nurse. The background and linkage scenes often feature actual Korean War footage.
According to Brooks (in an interview filmed for the 1988 Bacall on Bogart documentary), the film was originally called MASH, a title rejected by MGM because the studio thought people would think the film had something to do with potatoes. Brooks also noted that Bogart agreed to do the film because the script's humor, set in a story showing the tragedy of war, would make the film seem more realistic to an audience. This half-century old film is of particular interest today for several reasons: 1) predates by a decade (and may have influenced/inspired) Robert Altman's film M*A*S*H and the subsequent TV series. 2) numerous scenes show actual Korean War footage, and 3)shows how the relationship between the sexes in the military is, ideally, very different today than it was during the 1950s.
The title of the film refers to the speed and ease with which a MASH unit, with its assemblage of tents, and portable equipment, can, like a circus, pick up stakes and move to where the action is.
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Contents
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Plot
A young Army nurse, Lt Ruth McGara (June Allyson), newly assigned to the 66th MASH during the Korean War, attracts the sexual attention of the unit's commander Dr. (MAJ) Jed Webbe (Humphrey Bogart). Webbe, who has a drinking problem, at first wants a "no strings" relationship. McGara is warned by the other nurses of Webbe's womanizing ways. Despite these initial handicaps, their love flourishes against a background of war, enemy attacks, death and injury. The relationship deepens and uplifts both characters.
Cast
- Humphrey Bogart as Major Jed Webbe
- June Allyson as Lieutenant Ruth McGara
- Keenan Wynn as Sergeant Orvil Statt
- Robert Keith as Lieutenant Colonel Hilary Walters
- William Campbell as Captain John Rustford
- Perry Sheehan as Lieutenant Laurence
- Patricia Tiernan as Lieutenant Rose Ashland
- Adele Longmire as Lieutenant Jane Franklin
- Jonathan Cott as Adjutant
- Ann Morrison as Lieutenant Edith Edwards
- Helen Winston as Lieutenant Graciano
- Sarah Selby as Captain Dobbs
- Danny Chang as Korean child
- Philip Ahn as Korean prisoner
- Steve Forrest as Sergeant
See also
References
External links
- Battle Circus at the Internet Movie Database
- Battle Circus at the TCM Movie Database
- Battle Circus at AllRovi
- Synopsis from American Movie Classics
- Film summary from the official June Allyson website
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