When Trumpets Fade

Released 1998
Stars Ron Eldard, Zak Orth, Frank Whaley, Dylan Bruno, Martin Donovan (II), Timothy Olyphant, Dan Futterman, Dwight Yoakam
Directed by John Irvin

John Irvin’s superb and fairly expensive-looking cable film is a portrait of fear on the battlefield--not cowardice, exactly, but the instincts soldiers follow to protect themselves, and how their leaders learn to infuse those instincts with aggression. Set during a costly WWII battle (the battle of Hurtgen Forest) that was subsequently negated by the Battle of the Bulge, the hero is a private who is rapidly field-promoted to an officer, despite his cynical distaste for authority. The fighting scenes are exciting and quite elaborate, and the dramatic tension does not lessen when the gunfire subsides. Unlike so many WWII movies of the past, the soldiers by and large have no idea what they are doing and little desire to accomplish anything more than avoid getting shot or blown up. And yet, they somehow manage to overcome their motivational constraints.

Summary by Doug Pratt