IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
In 1953 at Fort Bliss, Texas, two Korean War combat veterans work as drill sergeants and fall in love with the same woman.In 1953 at Fort Bliss, Texas, two Korean War combat veterans work as drill sergeants and fall in love with the same woman.In 1953 at Fort Bliss, Texas, two Korean War combat veterans work as drill sergeants and fall in love with the same woman.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
Iris Adrian
- Mrs. Butterfly
- (scenes deleted)
Acquanetta
- Bar Girl
- (uncredited)
Matilda Caldwell
- Mrs. Hazard
- (uncredited)
Charlita
- Mexican Girl
- (uncredited)
John Close
- Military Policeman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAt about 18 minutes into the film while Richard Widmark and Karl Malden's characters are shooting pool there is a sign on the wall that reads: Watch Your Language Single Men Present. A real "sign" of the times.
- GoofsWhen Ryan and Holt have the troops on a training exercise in the field, Ryan tells Holt to "get back to base." The Army doesn't refer to its facilities as bases. An actual soldier would have said "get back to the post."
- Quotes
Sgt. Thorne Ryan: This is your rifle, and not your gun; it's made for shooting, and not for fun!
- ConnectionsReferenced in Killer's Kiss (1955)
Featured review
Undistinguished, To Say The Least
An utterly routine military film, minus anything that might distinguish it from the many other recruiting posters of the time, e.g. The DI (1957), Battle Cry (1955), et al. Except for the first few minutes of combat in Korea, the remainder is taken up with Basic Training at Fort Bliss, TX. Widmark gets the stereotypical role of an emotionally crippled drill sergeant, while Malden is wasted as his straight-arrow assistant. Third billed Stewart is the required love interest, who unfortunately is all hair and little talent. The remainder of the cast fills out the ranks of recruit trainees, with the usual array of witty or problem personalities. The movie's one notable feature turns up in the multi-racial ranks of the trainees, a relatively new updating for Hollywood.
As a guy who went through Basic (at Ft. Bliss in the 60's), I have to agree with reviewer bkoganbing. Many of the incidents portrayed in the film would never have occurred in real training, especially Malden slugging Widmark in front of the trainees. But I guess the screenplay needed more action at that point. Then too, the language was really cleaned up for public viewing. I had to laugh every time Widmark benignly called the recruits "young people".
What surprises me is the movie's director, Richard Brooks. How he got the job of supervising this sort of pablum is a puzzle, having built a reputation for highly serious work as a screenwriter, Brute Force (1948), Crossfire (1947), et al. Anyway, the movie is fairly typical of the sanitized type of military drama of the 1950's, before the stark realities of Vietnam sank in. (Contrast Basic Training here with it's more starkly realistic counterpart in Full Metal Jacket {1987}.) All in all, Take The High Ground is little more than a bland period curiosity.
As a guy who went through Basic (at Ft. Bliss in the 60's), I have to agree with reviewer bkoganbing. Many of the incidents portrayed in the film would never have occurred in real training, especially Malden slugging Widmark in front of the trainees. But I guess the screenplay needed more action at that point. Then too, the language was really cleaned up for public viewing. I had to laugh every time Widmark benignly called the recruits "young people".
What surprises me is the movie's director, Richard Brooks. How he got the job of supervising this sort of pablum is a puzzle, having built a reputation for highly serious work as a screenwriter, Brute Force (1948), Crossfire (1947), et al. Anyway, the movie is fairly typical of the sanitized type of military drama of the 1950's, before the stark realities of Vietnam sank in. (Contrast Basic Training here with it's more starkly realistic counterpart in Full Metal Jacket {1987}.) All in all, Take The High Ground is little more than a bland period curiosity.
- dougdoepke
- Dec 30, 2013
- Permalink
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Making of a Marine
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,166,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
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