To Hell and Back (1955)

A story of one soldier's journey through various theaters of World War 2, To Hell and Back is unique due to its lead actor portraying himself. Real life veteran Audie Murphy took many steps to ensure this film captured the essence of what regular soldiers went through, and it shows. While the action and cinematography may not have aged as well, the genuineness of the dialogue and heart displayed by all of the platoon members allow this film to remain enjoyable over half a century later.

One of the few bio-pics in which the subject is actually played by himself To Hell And Back is a passable war film in which it is no exaggeration when it claims to be based on real events. Audie Leon Murphy was at once remarkable and unremarkable. Product of a poor, dirt farming family in North East Texas, he assumed responsibility for his mother and siblings at a young age after his father abandoned the family in the late thirties. With the death of his mother and the placing of his siblings into care Murphy was free, albeit under age, to enlist in the US Army where he proved to possess natural leadership qualities despite a lack of formal education. Involved in several major campaigns he wound up, as is well documented, the most decorated US serviceman with the Congressional Medal of Honor being his top award. The film chronicles his military career in a largely unspectacular fashion and remains watchable today.

Probably unique amongst the plethora of World War 2 films in that not only is it a true story but actually acted out by the man who was there. If this was fiction you'd think it was cheesy and unbelievable, knowing it is fact and having read his autobiography makes it all the more remarkable. This must be one of the few films which actually tones down some of the hero's actions because they're just so unbelievable. It isn't perfect by any means, it's clearly all shot in army training grounds in the US. The tanks are all wrong and some of the special effects pretty weak but you have to forgive that for the time and the budget. Having read Murphy's book the film very much sanitises many of the events, no lines of GI's queueing up at Sicilian brothels, no three wounded German soldiers left to die slowly in a quarry because there's nothing they can do to help them. No drunken officer ordering Murphy to make an ill-advised patrol which he ignores or platoon Sergeant becoming unglued in the face of a horrendous bombardment and suffering a breakdown in front of his men. In the movie Murphy's first combat is destroying a machine-gun post, an event which does happen but actually much later. In real life it's when a soldier in his platoon is killed by a random shell whilst marching to the front and his first kills are a pair of Italian officers shot in the back whilst they attempt to flee. One story I've heard is that General Eisenhower liked the film but disapproved of the choice of leading man saying he was too small for the role, unaware that actually Murphy was playing himself although that may be a myth.

Whenever you hear the name of Audie Murphy, it's generally in connection with his being the most decorated soldier of World War II. What you don't hear is the even more amazing part of the story, that he achieved that distinction by the time he was nineteen years old! It seemed to be a paradox that throughout his combat service, Murphy never wanted the responsibility of a promotion, but he took on that responsibility just the same time and time again. "To Hell And Back" generally does a good job of depicting his war time record, but one can't help feeling that there's something lacking in the presentation. Murphy himself doesn't seem to be all that enthused about portraying his exploits, going through the motions with almost a mechanical indifference. It's almost as if he didn't feel comfortable in his own skin, perhaps owing to his own bouts of post traumatic stress disorder.Murphy seemed to be a paradox as an actor as well, owing no doubt to his ever youthful appearance. In the handful of Westerns I've seen him in, he usually doesn't seem to fit the part, whether as the picture's hero ("Gunfight at Comanche Creek"), or as a screen heavy ("No Name On The Bullet", "Gunsmoke"). At best, Murphy's performances were about adequate, so it's not too surprising that he never really became a break out star. For all that though, I find I can enjoy his pictures well enough, even if they're largely forgettable otherwise."To Hell And Back" offers a meaningful insight into war and how a soldier conducts himself with the men he serves with. There's a particular scene where Murphy is gruff with one of his squad, and the guy is taken aback somewhat. After Murphy leaves, another soldier explains - "The buddy's that come with you you're stuck with, but you don't make no new ones". That's something I hadn't considered as a means of insulating one's self against additional trauma, useful advice under battlefield conditions. Audie Murphy's story would be a good one to see made today with a talented script writer and a more professional approach to film making. There's no doubt that Murphy is a genuine American hero, and it would be fitting to see a picture made about him that elevated his stature to match the reputation.