Battle Hymn [Blu-ray]

Director: Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk

Overview

Battle Hymn was inspired by the true story of American minister Dean Hess, played here with rare sensitivity by Rock Hudson. A bomber pilot during World War II, Hess inadvertently releases a bomb which destroys a German orphanage. Tortured by guilt, Hess relocates in Korea after the war to offer his services as a missionary. Combining the best elements of Christianity and Eastern spiritualism, Hess establishes a large home for orphans. The preacher's efforts are threatened when the Korean "police action" breaks out in 1950. Battle Hymn was one of several collaborations between Rock Hudson and director Douglas Sirk--though Sirk felt that Robert Stack would have been better suited to the role of Rev. Hess.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/27/2021
UPC:	0738329251871
Original Release:	1956
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Language:	English
Time:	1:48:00
Sales rank:	30,529

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Rock Hudson	Dean Hess,Navy Lieutenant
Martha Hyer	Mary Hess
Anna Kashfi	Miss Yang
Don DeFore	Le capitaine Skidmore
Dan Duryea	Le sergent Herman
Jock Mahoney	Le major Morre
Alan Hale Jr.	Mess Sergeant
James Edwards	Lt. Maples
Carl Benton Reid	Deacon Edwards
Richard Loo	Gen. Kim
Philip Ahn	Old Man
Bartlett Robinson	Gen. Timberidge
Simon Scott	Lt. Hollis
Teru Shimada	Korean Official
Carleton Young	Maj. Harrison
Art Millan	Capt. Reardon
Alan Hale	Mess Sergeant
Paul Sorensen	Sentry

Technical Credits

Vincent B. Evans

Charles Grayson

Douglas Sirk	Director
Ross Hunter	Producer
Vincent B. Evans	Screenwriter
Charles Grayson	Screenwriter
Leslie I. Carey	Sound Effects
Corson Jowett	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Battle Hymn was a change of pace for director Douglas Sirk, who took a respite from his usual glossy soap operas to produce this sensitive, cross-cultural biographical study of a World War II veteran who re-dedicates his life to helping Korean orphans. The film argues that the disputes of governments matter very little to ordinary people who suffer from the everyday horror and destruction of war, a message unusual in the Cold War 1950s. Sirk lends the film his distinctive visual style, aided by the solid work of cinematographer Russell Metty. Rock Hudson's performance is among the best of his career, and he is ably supported by such familiar supporting cast members as Dan Duryea, Martha Hyer, and Jock Mahoney. Battle Hymn was further evidence of producer Ross Hunter's knack for bringing together just the right elements for a Sirk film, even when the project's subject matter was a departure from the director's standard melodramas.

All Movie Guide - Richard Gilliam