When Trumpets Fade

A television film that is very close to the popular series Band of Brothers in terms of its quality. Similar is the unpretentiousness, absence of pathos, glorification of war, and American patriotism. The war, as portrayed by the director, is about the filth in the trenches, stress, fear, efforts to survive, lack of provisions, and sometimes even downright cowardice. The feeling of reality is valuable, but if I were to have any critical remarks, they would be directed toward the fact that even this honestly done work does not say much about the overall character of the war on the Western Front. It was very different from what soldiers experienced on the Eastern Front or the battle lines on the Asian continent. Similar bloody battles fought on the edge of a knife were a rarity from the perspective of Americans. American commanders, considering public opinion in the United States, sought to minimize casualties and did not seek personal contact between their units and the enemy. The war was decided by material and technical superiority, and the front moved forward only slowly after the enemy had been sufficiently decimated through systematic bombing and shelling. When Americans encountered a tenacious and well-motivated adversary, such as Kesselring's units in Italy, the advance of Allied forces was halted despite their significant superiority. As for the acting and directing aspects, I have no comments or criticisms about the film; it would be great if such a meticulous approach could be considered average in cinema. Overall impression: 95%. (23/09/2009)

A pleasant surprise. A war film that describes one of the sections of the Battle of the Ardennes... No heroism, no pathos, no fearless hero. Ron Eldard's Manning is a selfish man who cares about nothing but his own survival. At that price, he's willing to do a foolish act of heroism... My good impression of the film is somewhat spoiled by strange music and also by the fact that the story lacks gradation... Even so, this film has an interesting theme (the theme of the Battle of the Ardennes is not as common) and especially good acting performances. A good war drama without big effects and mass scenes... And also without unnecessarily sly iconization of Allied heroism. Just the war and its filth. (10/02/2004)