The Pool Shark

(2012-04-30 16:54:04)

The Story of Audie Murphy

"To Hell and Back" is the story of World War II's most decorated soldier of all time, Audie Murphy. He had fought the battles of war, before becoming a big Hollywood movie star of the 1950's. This film was based on Murphy's autobiographical novel, and also stars Marshall Thompson, Gregg Palmer, Jack Kelly, and Susan Kohner. "To Hell and Back" is one of the most popular films of Audie Murphy's career.

(2012-04-30 06:09:56)

Tells the Story of a True American Hero well

To Hell and Back tells the story of Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier in WWII. It also traces the combat history of the 3rd Infantry Division. As a former member of this division, I greatly appreciated the movie, and the sacrifice made by these fine men. They truly accomplished great things under great difficulty.As far as Audie Murphy goes, he is a legend in the Army, and rightfully so. This movie does a nice job of telling his story, and includes some great action scenes. The fact that he plays himself actually works well. I watched it with my two boys, and they both enjoyed it. Other than the violence of the combat scenes, I think it is suitable for kids.If you like vintage WWII films (this one was filmed in 1955), then you will enjoy To Hell and Back. Makes me proud to have served in the 3rd ID.

(2012-04-29 23:55:29)

great video

This review is from: To Hell and Back (DVD) this has always been my favorit movie..someone so young with so much courage to do the things he did. even at the end of his life he was a true hero.

bkoganbing

(2012-04-29 13:59:49)

Little Texas

During the first World War the American hero out of that conflict,Alvin C. York of Tennessee, had to wait until the outbreak of thesecond World War for his biographical film to be made. World War II'sequivalent from East Texas only waited ten years and had the singularhonor of starring in the film of his own life.Good thing Audie Murphy became a Hollywood star because he got to bothwrite his own story and have Universal Studios produce the film as tohis specifications. To Hell and Back is his story, but it's also thestory of the men who served with him, those who came back from hell andthose who remained.What I liked best about To Hell and Back was the camaraderie and spiritand the relationships between Murphy and the men of his outfit. Thestory starts in North Africa where his company arrives too late for thefighting there, but just in time to be part of the offensive to takeSicily. Then it's Salerno, up the western Italian coast and into Francewith the landings in Southern France until Germany. At each stop Murphygrows in admiration and respect from those over and around him. Suchplayers as Jack Kelly, Paul Picerni, Marshall Thompson and CharlesDrake support Murphy very well.To Hell and Back also shows what a roll of the dice combat is. It couldjust as easily been Murphy as any of the cast that is killed anddoesn't make it to the end of the film. Staying alive is a singularaccomplishment. All of these guys are heroes. A lot of the fame andglory Murphy won was due to luck and opportunity and he would have beenthe first to admit it.When do you get a film with 100% perfect casting for the lead? you getit in To Hell and Back with Audie Murphy playing the man his comradescalled Little Texas. A nice film about the greatest soldier of thegreatest generation.

(2012-04-29 01:46:26)

A good soldier's story, played by "THE REAL McCOY"

I've always Liked watching Audie Murphy's movies since I was a child. Iguess it also had to do with the fact that he had that baby face. Being acombat wounded Viet Nam vet, I can relate to his ordeal during and afterthewar. This man was a caring man who thought of others. Like many other"Medalof Honor" winners; he like the others are not the movie RAMBO hero. TheyAre"THE REAL McCOYS" It's ironic, though. His last movie in 1971 was called"Atime for dying"[A Jesse James movie.] In that same year he died in a smallplane crash. A friend of his had once said," all those Germans could notkill him,yet a plane crash near home took his life." My last words are,"Mayhe be with the Lord."

(2012-04-28 06:13:04)

A REAL TEXAN

This review is from: To Hell and Back (DVD) This is a better story than today's youth will ever realize. REAL men, REAL heros and REAL Texans are all dead and gone. You can buy muscles at the local gym but guts can't be faked or flown in on Daddy's jet. That a true hero's story is preserved and that we can hear his voice and watch his body launguage is a gift.This movie is as modest as it's hero.

bozon

(2012-04-28 01:25:07)

Liked it should know Audie's History first

I liked this movie not so much because it is a great movie ( it is anaverage war movie of this era) but because it made me reflect aboutreality versus perception and how you can be very wrong about somethingby taking it at face value. Let me explain. My perception, If I had topick a platoon for battle I would never pick Audie Murphy. At 5'5",maybe 110 lbs, a high tinny voice, and hyper-kinetic motion, he seemsmore like someone that would get killed early and easily, or worse getyou killed. The reality, he was the man you wanted in your platoon whenthe battle started. He was made of heroic stuff. He wasn't a toughtalking braggart. He was just a soldier that would do anything to savehis brothers and get home alive. He of course isn't the only example ofthis. He just got his own movie. It was a good thing that he was anactor because John Wayne would have played his part if he hadn't been,which would have been a real shame because you would have lost the truemeaning behind the story. Hollywood prefers style over substance. Itwould have been a truedisservice to all of the short, underweight chirpy men in the world.Think about Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne, who would you want in yourplatoon. John Wayne is your probable choice. Now compare JimmyStewart's military career with John Wayne's. John Wayne avoided WWIIinstead using it to advance his career when many of his contemporarieswent to war. Jimmy Stewart on the other hand joined the Air Force 9months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He had to force the Air Forceto let him in because he was under weight. He was a bomber pilot thatflew 20 missions. "His wartime decorations included the DistinguishedFlying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, four Air Medals, and the FrenchCroix de Guerre with Palm." Now who do you want on your side. I'll takethe battle hardened, frail looking, stuttering veteran over the toughtalking, strapping, strutting Hollywood pretender any day.So when I watch the movie I think about the reality of Audie Murphy.Which leaves me with the feeling that if you put your heart into it youcan do anything. So when you watch the movie think about the reality.You have a 5'5" war hero that actually became a Hollywood action herowhich is improbable in itself.

(2012-04-27 04:23:32)

tol hell and back

This review is from: To Hell and Back (DVD) good movie of an american hero. the movie came in very good condition. will be buying more from amazon as they are very good.

tmwest

(2012-04-26 16:10:55)

A great hero and what great action scenes!!!!

When I was at school in my early teens, never a film was so much talkedabout after a weekend. The guys loved it, and one scene when they givechocolate bars to the soldiers, stuck to one's mind and one's appetite.I saw this film on DVD yesterday and either the chocolate scene wasmissing or unconsciously I slept through it. There is not much of aplot to the film, because it shows the real hero Audie Murphy incombat. But what great action scenes! The soldiers capturing a house inthe field and then losing it, Murphy blowing a tank, shooting bymistake at himself in the mirror, standing on a tank in flames,throwing grenades at a pillbox, crossing a river under fire, whateveryou think it is there, and in Cinemascope, which adapts very well tothe widescreen format. We are used to see actors playing heroes, buthere we see a hero which played western characters that could never beas brave as he was in real life. Everybody would think it is unreal!!!

JANA-7

(2012-04-26 11:50:25)

Truly a Great Hero!

It is difficult to imagine how a grade school teenager performed sobrilliantly and courageously in World War 2 given the circumstancesthat he was part of all the major theaters of operation in Europe. Hewas and will always be remembered as a hero.Perhaps my viewpoint is tinted because of all the superior docudramasthat have unfolded in Hollywood over the past 15 years. This was a 50swar movie and Hollywood didn't really capture realism even with Audiein the lead role.Knowing it is a true account of Murphy's unbelievable heroics, thedirector wandered through the film with with a typical script of thetime that didn't give Mr Murphy the proper credit he so rightlydeserved. The so-called Italian girl scene didn't help the movie.Realism was absent during critical scenes and the uniforms (so clean)did not help its' believability. God love Audie and God bless him andit is too bad, considering the subject, that that Hollywood didn'tspend enough time making the story much greater than it was depicted.

Sergei Scurfield

(2012-04-25 22:41:21)

A solid 1950's style WW2 movie.

I watched this movie because I was interested in seeing the story of AudieMurphy, the most decorated soldier in U.S. history. The fact that thismovie is based on Audie Murphy's autobiography, and that he stars as himselfin the film, added to my interest. I didn't have high pre-expectations, so Iwas pleasantly surprised while watching this enjoyable film. To Hell andBack is a solid 1950's style WW2 movie, which focuses on the camaraderie ofthe foot soldier. It is neither pro nor anti-war, as it has a high body, butshows little of the bloodshed or true horror of war.

(2012-04-25 11:18:49)

Incredible story... a true HERO

These days the word hero is bandied about, describing anyone who goes to work, fights a fire, shoots a bad guy, ad nauseam.Audey Murphy was a true hero, the most decorated soldier ever to wear an American uniform. Among his decorations are the top three or four medals that are possible to win: Medal of Honor, Distinguised Service Medal, Croix De Guerre and so many more that it is difficult to list. Silver Star, Bronze Star also.All the more amazing is the fact that Murphy was only 16 (!) when he enlisted in the army. A manchild of disproportionate courage and skill as a killer and warrior. He led men twice his age before the war ended, as a lieutenant and company commander.Now, to come back and act as himself in a movie about his own exploits is even more amazing. A truly great movie about a truly great man.Other war movies seem shallow and storyless compared to the true story of this young man.By the way, do you know who the SECOND most decorated soldier in our history was?No?Neville Brand, also an actor.

(2012-04-22 00:06:14)

As riviting as the first time

This review is from: To Hell and Back (DVD) I've loved this movie since I was a kid, and am glad to finally have a great copy for anytime I want to see it. Audie Murphy was one of my favorite actors (The "Mirror" scene is great.)

carly7-1

(2012-04-21 12:16:16)

Dated, but still very good

Few know that this film was the studio's biggest "blockbuster" until"Jaws" was released 20 years later. The film does chronicle some of theexploits of Audie Murphy, who having grown up dirt poor in Texas, wenton to become the most highly decorated soldier of WWII. The film issomewhat dated and was definitely cleaned up to appeal to a largeraudience, but nonetheless, it gives a pretty accurate version of thisman's damn near suicidal bravery. Because Murphy was rejected by theMarine Corps, and was a fairly small man in stature, an under currentof the underdog story develops as the young Murphy attempts to do justabout anything in order to improve himself. This was not Murphy's firstfilm, so perhaps this explains his above average performance andseeming comfort on camera. He is supported by a crew of veteranperformers, (Marshall Thompson, Jack Kelly) who do there best to letMurphy be the center of attention. It's a terrific story, enhanced onlya little by the fact it's true, and if you're able to imagine a remakeof this film, I don't see how it couldn't be successful.

revdrcac

(2012-04-14 09:10:13)

The very definition of a Hero !

In this autobiographical war film, the viewer is shown in a marvelouslythought-provoking fashion the true meaning of heroism. Murphy wasrejected by the Navy and USMC, yet became our nation's most decoratedveteran. Especially poignant are the scenes wherein Audie Murphy losesthose closest to him. His tears are more than acting, they representhis memories of the real life sacrifice of the fallen heroes of WW II.This is a masterpiece of autobiographical cinema ! The performances are realistic and yet familiar to us veterans . Thecamaraderie, sorrow, hardship and esprit de corps transcend thehalf-century which has passed. The final battle scene which depictsAudie's Medal Of Honor winning actions is moving but characteristicallymodest in its presentation. Enjoy this portrait of a true Americanhero.

Euromutt

(2012-04-13 22:08:30)

A story that really deserved a better movie

"To Hell And Back" is based on the autobiography of Audie Murphy, themost decorated American soldier of the second world war, with Murphyplaying himself. The film begins by establishing Murphy's humblebeginnings as the eldest of several children abandoned by their fatherin rural north-eastern Texas. After their mother dies, Audie's siblingsare put into an orphanage, and he joins the armed forces. After beingturned down by the Marine Corps and the Navy, he joins the Army andsoon arrives up in North Africa as a replacement with B (Baker)Company, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. (Given howsusceptible Murphy is to sea-sickness, it was probably for the bestthat the more nautical services rejected him.) He is too late to seeaction in Africa, but he gets plenty as the division proceeds to fightits way through Sicily, the Salerno and Anzio bridgeheads in Sicily,lands in southern France and fights its way up to the German border.Along the way, Murphy rises through the ranks from private tolieutenant and is leading B Company before his military career is cutshort by a piece of shrapnel just a few months before VE-Day. A numberof episodes also touch on his background, such as when discovers thatone of his squadmates abandoned his wife and child, much like Murphy'sdad, and when he meets an Italian family where the father similarlydisappeared.It's a spectacular story (I should note I read the book before seeingthe movie), and the film's main failing is that it really doesn't dothe story justice. The combat scenes are too few and too sparse, givenall Murphy went through, but the real problem is that Universal was toostingy with funds for extras and locations. The action takes place inthe Mediterranean and France, in a variety of terrain and seasons, butnone of the locations look like Europe; there's not a paved road,village or church steeple in sight, and the vegetation screams westernUnited States. I would guess that the combat sequences were all filmedon the training grounds of the Fort Lewis Military Reservation (just upthe road from where I live in Washington state) in the space of acouple of weeks in late spring/early summer. All the sequences of navalvessels, amphibious landings and aircraft are all plainly stockfootage. Naples looks suspiciously like a "generic southern Europeantown" set on a Hollywood backlot, and there are too few people on thestreet for such a major city. Similarly, the battle scenes seem to haveway too few people in them, causing the front line to look about 30meters long. ("The Big Red One" had similar problems, being mostly shotin Israel, though that location at least looks Mediterranean.)Furthermore, the film suffers from being too sanitized, and I don'tjust mean the language. Murphy and his fellow "dogfaces" look freshlyshaved and showered at all times, with the creases still visible intheir pants. Any mud on their clothing looks like the costumedepartment painted it on. Rather than a harrowing ordeal, "To Hell AndBack" feels like a day trip to the nearest National Park, with theenemy presenting only a minor and brief annoyance. Bill Mauldin's"Willie and Joe" cartoons did an infinitely better job of conveying themiserable conditions under which the infantryman did his job."To Hell And Back" is a perfectly adequate 1950s war movie, but itfalls far short of the lofty goal it sets itself.

jwheritt

(2012-04-10 16:18:41)

A great depiction of an American Hero

Being in the U.S. Army, I tend to favor military movies. This movie showswhat our Veterans went through, and it lets people know what kind of heroswe have in the military. Audie Murphy, being the most decorated man inWWII, is a military idol. I truly enjoyed watching Audie Murphy as himselfin this movie.

Robert J. Maxwell

(2012-04-10 03:50:04)

Hollywoodized Version of an Incredible Story.

In the early 50s, Audie Murphy and his ghost writer published a book ofMurphy's unbelievable exploits in Italy, France, and Germany duringWorld War II. Murphy, still in his teens, won about every decorationfor valor that the human mind can dream up -- and he earned them too.The experience wrecked him. He made movies later in his life, alwaysboyish looking and modest sounding. But he suffered from PTSD. He wastormented by nightmares of firing an M-1 at attacking Germans andhaving his rifle fall apart, piece by piece. He slept with a Coltpistol under his pillow and attacked another man with a baseball bat.His many medals were stashed in disarray in a drawer. He died in aplane crash.Hollywood has taken this man's remarkable story, lifting pieces of itfrom his memoirs, left out the most poignant passages and twistedMurphy's remaining heroics into pablum. An example of what I mean. Inthe book, written in the present tense, Murphy describes his firstencounter with the enemy and sees one of his targets fall. "Now I havekilled," he writes, and goes on to explain his emotions.No room for any such ruminations in the movie. We see Murphy rejectedby the other services for being too young or too short. In the ThirdInfantry Division he is ridiculed in a good-natured way by the usualstereotypes from other war movies -- the guy who brags about his sexualexploits, the stoic Indian, the ambitious Pole, the reckless goodfriend.Murphy's achievements provide a peg to hang a formulaic war movie on.No clichГѓВ© is avoided. On leave at last with his fellow troopers inRome, they all head off to get drunk and get laid, leaving the bashfulhero behind. The shy Murphy winds up spending the night with anaccommodating young woman while the others are either satisfied withfinding someone to talk to or find themselves in some other sort ofdead end. The next morning all the men brag about their conquests whilethe reticent Murphy says nothing about his night of romance.The battle scenes are pretty good, though again they fit the Hollywoodmold. The writers even are forced -- get this -- they are forced todownplay or skip over Murphy's boldest actions -- because they areUNBELIEVABLE. The guy's military achievements are so extravagant thatthe writers must have figured no one would believe them, although to besure, what's left in is heroic enough.It isn't a bad movie, or rather it wouldn't be if it were fictionalfrom beginning to end. It would just be a standard genre effort,inferior to, say, "Battleground" or "The Story of G. I. Joe." But itpretends to be a true story and it is simply not.What a tragic waste -- of the rest of what life remained to Murphy, andof an historically accurate narrative that was never told.

(2012-04-08 18:43:42)

To Hell and Back

This bloke is a legend by anyones standards. Should be compulsory viewing for young americans.Far to many people are labelled as heroes in todays society i.e.(sportsman) garbage, this bloke was a hero in every sense of the word.

jcwave

(2012-04-08 04:33:22)

"To Hell and Back" one of the best war movies ever made !

In my opinion 'To Hell and Back' is one of the best war movie evermade, (right next to 'Saving Private Ryan') because it was about a truestory of a kid from Texas with a run-a-way Father and a dead Mother,wanted to do something for the war effort but was turned down by everyother service except the Army, and the Army had second thoughts. Whatmakes this movie very special is the fact that the most ever to datedecorated US soldier (two dozen of the highest medals) and aCongressional Medal of Honor receiver, not only lived through the war,but in fact played himself ! after being talked into it, seems hedidn't want to play himself, he thought it would degrade the Medal ofHonor. I watched a run of this movie on the History Channel, it was a showcalled, is it 'History or Hollywood' where by at the end of the show 3Historians discuss a movie for Historic correctness, every one said ifanything this movie was under stated of what Audie Murphy truly did inEurope during WWII, one said it was down played because of Audie Murphyhimself, because his Army recorded as witness by others has him doinglots more, but that was the personality of Audie Murphy, imaginewatching a movie were the battle's and the deeds are true, they calledout a seen where Audie's best friend gets shot, he really did goballistic charging at the German machine gun nest that killed him,picks up a German Machine gun then proceeds to take out 2 or 3 more gunsites, by using the German gun it didn't give a warning to the Germans,he saved countless American lives coming up that mountain, a brilliantmovie. My only wish is for this movie to come out on DVD, please release 'ToHell and Back' on DVD !