A Walk in the Sun -- The Definitive Restoration (1945) | Dana Andrews, John Ireland | WWII Classic

American soldiers hit the beach at Salerno and begin their trek across the countryside toward the Nazi-occupied farmhouse they've been ordered to destroy. These are infantrymen who aren’t thinking about fighting bravely enough to become officers...just living long enough to become civilians! During the World War II Allied invasion of Italy, the film stars Dana Andrews as Sgt. Tyne, one of the officers leading an attack on a farmhouse in the Italian countryside which functions as a German stronghold. When the ranking officers are killed soon after the platoon lands on the beach, Tyne must take over. The film is noted for its attempt to portray the infantryman’s experience realistically, in particular the banter and mid-1940s slang. This WWII film was the first to use a ballad as a thematic element, a practice which, after HIGH NOON, would become a cliché of the 1950s. One of the best WWII films, A WALK IN THE SUN combines documentary-like sequences with a sharp awareness of the isolation of each soldier in the midst of battle. Included in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. One of the National Board of Reviews' "Ten Best" of 1945, this realistic look at men in war was directed by the legendary Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front).

Director: Lewis Milestone
Stars: Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, George Tyne, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges

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SOCIAL MEDIA

[ericjohnson]

My dad survived Tunisia, Sicily, Salerno and Anzio. But at Cisterna his battalion was wiped out with only a handful of survivors. He was one. Thank you for this movie. Incidentally the only thing he told my mom about his experience was that a stray dog followed them for a while. Dog didn't know English but one guy from NY knew Italian. Dog would listen to him. They kidded each other that the dog was so smart he knew Italian but the guys didn't. Told Mom nothing else. But in 1950's he had terrible nightmares and would wake up screaming. Drank too. I have nothing but respect for him. Passed in1989.

[buckspero]

I was born in 1947. My Dad led an armored infantry platoon in France, Belgium, Holland, and finally Germany. He always said this was the best film of the era regarding tanks and soldiers. Watched it every time it was on tv. Like most, his war experiences were not spoken of, except for a couple of sort of entertaining incidents. A great man, he came home with a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and the love and respect of his men, who wrote to him for years after the war. Passed in 1967 of pancreatic cancer. RIP 1st Lt. Harold L. Spero.

[chrisoconnell]

Hats off to the people that restore these films without them they would be lost forever

[Kevin-lhzz]

Really enjoyed this film. The character development was amazing and it stands out as more of a psychological war movie than an action movie, but man, the dialogues are priceless. Thank you to those who restored this movie and those who posted it too.

[chocolatestarfish]

Aloha greeting from Hawaii I had 3 uncles in the 442 battalion the most decorated WW2 units in history. They just didn’t the recognition because they were Japanese Americans trying to prove their loyalty to our country of America. They liberated many many towns and villages from the hills of Italy to the forest of France

[davidgladstone]

My dad fought in Italy and this was the movie he thought told the story the best. Richard Conti, Lloyd Nolan and all of them are so good in this.

[edhorst]

Glad to see this war film finally restored.. included in ratings of war movies deserving credit.. many returning WWII veterans didn’t talk much after witnessing the horrors of war, know my dad didn’t say much. They came home to restart their lives they left to defend freedom..

[lewispetzold]

I was in law school in 1970. I rented a room, my landlord had lived this, he was an infantryman in Italy from Salerno on. He said this was the only war film that really captured what it was like. So leave the nitpicking comments about a few details aside. This is very realistic.

[amham]

One of the greatest war movies ever made...the dialogue, character development, cinematography of closeups and soldier walking/speaking shots. No need of spectacular special effects...just superb movie making!

[kitparker]

The original film material was decomposing, but the UCLA Film and Television archive was able to restored and preserved it just in time. It cost of tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours of work. Funding came from The Film Foundation (Martin Scorsese). Subsequently, we commissioned a 4K digital transfer and performed additional clean up to make the movie look as close to brand new as possible.

[danielcombs]

This is one of the classic war films with a incredible cast of actors. All of these guys were great character actors .

[carpenterbluechicken]

I just love watching old movies I always liked Dana Andrews he was a cool guy

[kfpepuv]

Thankfully, I have never been involved in a war...but this film, to me, concentrated on each character, and their feelings, their confidence, their downfalls/ weaknesses....a great move, thankyou for posting SPROCKET VAULT

[chrismann]

Very happy to see this movie restored. A great movie with great performances. One of my favorites

[rescuepetsrule]

A lot of people nowadays don't remember WWII Italy, or maybe only Mussolini. I'm a Texas Veteran and proud to see such a great film. Mark Clark was more interested in being the last man to liberate Rome, which was basically free anyway, than in helping our Tx men. SALUTE, brave men- we never forgot you!

[djpass-mibi]

An excellent movie. There's great dialog between George Tyne and Richard Conte.

[DrinkingStar]

I remember seeing this movie several times on TV in the early 1950s. I was and is still a great movie.

[lasalleman]

My uncle was in north Africa, Sicily and Italy. But that's all he ever told me. He generally refused to talk much about his war experiences. I first saw the film when I was about 10. I still remember the armored vehicle ambush, and the farmhouse assault.

[michaelwest]

A very underrated gem of the Silver Screen.

[gilesfamily]

Classic. Some great names in this as well. Always love watching Dana Andrews and Richard Conte.


26 March 2023