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Pork Chop Hill (1959)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
7/04, 5/24
5/24:
Despite featuring about a dozen of big-time names, Pork Chop Hill tries hard to separate itself from the pack
but no dice.
I can see why Gregory Peck wanted Lewis Milestone for the job because he directed
All Quiet on the Western Front. The actor
was deeply affected by it, a film that I consider to be a top five masterpiece of all time. So, what went wrong?
For starters, Gregory Peck gets too much attention, leaving barely any character development for others with the exception
of George Shibata (a fun fact is that he's the first Asian graduate ever of any U.S. service academy in history; after West Point,
he went into Air Force and flew thirty missions during the Korean War) as Lieutenant Tsugi Ohashi. Some is granted to Woody
Strode and Robert Blake, but it's not enough. Secondly, there are no powerful moments. The same type of fighting to retake
the hill is done to death throughout. Hence, there must be variety to change it up.
While watching Pork Chop Hill, I thought back to Platoon for getting everything
right: the characters, the dramatic scenes, and the effective messages about the futility of war and how the definition of
"enemy" kept getting blurred. At least, I like how the Chinese radio announcer was used in an attempt to defeat the
soldiers psychologically. To improve the film more, showing the peace conference talks while the men are still fighting
might be beneficial to create tension. Inserting the Chinese side in a back-and-forth manner with the Americans is another
way.
All in all, Pork Chop Hill is a noble effort but falls short to be a moving war picture by failing to take advantage
of the power of editing.