Unit 9 Film Review: The Lost Battalion.

Setting of the Lost Battalion

The lost battalion is a made for T.V. movie that was released on December 2, 2001. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, It was written by James Carabatsos of the Writers Guild Association, and was made to be seen on A&E. This film was nominated for three prime time Emmys, along with three other nominations and two wins.

Plot

This movie tells the true story of how former New York lawyer, Major Charles White Whittlesey is sent on a suicide mission to take the French territory that was held by German forces in the Argonne Forest. The Major takes 500 men in with him and is promised support from the French and other allied nations but receives nothing. Major Whittlesey holds his position against all odds, hoping that what he and his men are doing will help end World War I.

Actors

Rick Schroder takes the lead role as Major Charles White Whittlesey; a man who used to be a lawyer in New York who agreed with Woodrow’s anti-war campaign. Schroder portrays the Major as a very serious person who is looking out for the safety of his men. Whittlesey tries to keep his battalion looking sharp even after suffering many casualties in order to show no sign of weakness.

Jay Rodan plays the role of Lt. Leak, an “apple Knocker” from Texas who just can’t seem to understand them City folk. Most of the movie the gangsters from New York pick on Leak because he’s from a small town and often can’t understand what they are saying. Throughout the movie the soldiers bond with one another and try to help keep each other’s morale up. Jar Rodan did a fair job at portraying Leak as a naïve boy from a small town.

Presentation

The presentation in this film was excellent; to be honest most war movies bore me to tears, sometimes taking me four or five sessions just to finish it. This film was different, however; the characters were diverse and intriguing and there was no shortage of action. Whether it is the German forces firing upon the 308 or the allies accidentally bombing the American encampment there was always something going on. The acting was superb and the battles were realistic.

What happened during this time period?

Tension was building between America and Germany on May 7, 1915, as a German submarine sunk a British liner which held 1,198 people, 128 of whom were Americans. Wilson Woodrow ordered an immediate halt to attacks on liners and Merchant ships. The German’s agreed to this but attacked two more vessels over the next two years; Wilson demanded that Germany abandoned submarine warfare, or he would break their diplomatic relations. Again, Germany agreed, and again, Germany attacked. On January 31, 1917, Germany began attacking U.S. Vessels, and after five were sunk Wilson Woodrow asked congress for a declaration of war; it was quickly approved on April 2, 1917. America was now part of the First World War.

During World War I many battles were fought to gain control of strategic territories, including the Meuse-Argonne, which cracked Germany’s vaunted Hindenburg Line. Nearly two million Americans were set out to fight in this war, with help from the French and British. Women in America began doing the jobs that the soldiers used to do, many even joining the military to help build weapons or heal the wounded. On November 11, 1918 in the 11th hour, Germany agreed to an Armistice and the war was over. Although many Americans died in World War I, even more were infected by the Flu which took many lives. Later, Woodrow established the League of Nations which contained the leader of each nation; the purpose of this group was to resolve conflicts without going to war.

Comparison

This film was quite accurate on a number of levels; the movie is based on a real battalion which was sent on a suicide mission in order to advance into the Argonne Forest. These were considered to be acceptable losses by high ranking Generals who likely had little remorse for what they were doing. This movie also showed that battalions were sometimes composed of a very diverse set of people; French, Americans, British, and people from Poland. Also, there was always a chance that Americans could bomb their own encampments on mistake while trying to strike the enemy.

What have I learned?

In this unit, I have learned how World War I began and ended. I also learned how the groundwork was laid for World War II from our unreasonable requests of Germany. We claimed that Germany was solely responsible for the war and that they should cover the multi-billion dollar cost in reparations, even though there were many other nations involved in the conflict. Also, before this unit I had no idea that women helped prepare the weapons and vehicles that our soldiers used.

*****I give this film an 8/10*****