The Red Badge of Courage (film)
| The Red Badge of Courage | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | John Huston |
| Produced by | Gottfried Reinhardt |
| Screenplay by | John Huston Albert Band (adaptation) |
| Based on |
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane |
| Starring |
Audie Murphy Bill Mauldin Andy Devine Robert Easton Douglas Dick Tim Durant |
| Narrated by | James Whitmore |
| Music by | Bronislau Kaper |
| Cinematography | Harold Rosson |
| Edited by | Ben Lewis |
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Production
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Release date
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Running time
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120 min (original version) 69 min (edited and current version) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,673,000 |
| Box office | $1,080,000 |
The Red Badge of Courage is a 1951 war film made by MGM. Directed by John Huston, it was produced by Gottfried Reinhardt with Dore Schary as executive producer. The screenplay is by John Huston, adapted by Albert Band from Stephen Crane's novel of the same name. The cinematography is by Harold Rosson, and the music score by Bronislau Kaper. The making of this film is the subject of Lillian Ross's 1952 book Picture, originally in The New Yorker.
The American Civil War film is a sparse but faithful retelling of the story, incorporating narration from the text to move the plot forward. Audie Murphy, a hero of World War II who later went into acting, played the lead role of Henry Fleming. Other actors include cartoonist Bill Mauldin, Andy Devine, Arthur Hunnicutt and Royal Dano.
The plot is based on the book with fewer bloody details. A regiment of Union soldiers head South to engage Confederate forces. Joining them is Henry Fleming (Audie Murphy), a green private sent into battle for the first time. He is unprepared for the fight, but by the time battle breaks out, he finds his endurance and courage tested.
Director John Huston used unusual compositions and camera angles drawn from film noir to create an alienating battlefield environment. Huston had high hopes for the movie, believing it could have been "his best". He became frustrated when the studio cut the film's length to 70 minutes and added narration following supposedly poor audience test screenings.
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