139: The Battle of San Pietro

One would think that a film directed by John Huston and produced by Frank Capra would be better known, but even the glow of these Hollywood stars couldn’t shine enough light to popularize a movie banned by the U.S. Army.  The film is The Battle of a San Pietro (1945), and it isn’t exactly the collaboration you might expect.  In fact, this 33 minute documentary that chronicles the events of an engagement at a small village in Italy during WWII stands out in both of their filmographies.  Both men were patriots whose films reflected American ideals, but the material here feels too gritty for Capra, and too straight forward for Huston. 

            It was this grit that caused the Army to shelve Huston’s completed version, believing the footage to be bad for morale and even antiwar in nature.  Exactly how footage of combat could scar combat soldiers I’m not sure, but Uncle Sam must have had his reasons.  Admittedly the events covered are brutal and their depiction is intense, but retrospectively footage of the war that is much more horrifying has surfaced. 

            As for the picture not quite fitting the Huston bill I can only say that it feels to direct.  He was a writer and director of stories that twisted and turned and often had no ultimate hope.  There is certainly despair in this picture, but due to army propaganda regulations it still feels forced.  Despite the military’s belief that it did not give an optimistic view of the battle won, it still has a bureaucratic gung ho feel to it.  Additionally, it tends to feel a bit like a military academy class on strategy, as Huston spends much of the film narrating his own pointing at a map.

                It survives in an edited version that stands as a shinning example of government propaganda.  Huston had six corporal cameramen at his disposal to collect footage and certainly captured some amazing images.  I can’t help but wonder how many times Steven Spielberg screened this piece before starting work on Saving Private Ryan (1998).  What’s unfortunate is that the original cut, with Huston’s full edge remains buried.  In either case it stands as a lasting tribute to the brave men and women who gave their lives so that tyranny and fascism could not curtail the lives of others.    

Grade: 2.5 Hats Off