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Battle of the Bulge
1965 169 min United States of America 12+
★6.7
Drama, History, War
Director: Ken Annakin
Trailers
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Description
In the winter of 1944, the Allied Armies stand ready to invade Germany at the coming of a New Year. To prevent it, Hitler orders an all-out offensive to re-take French territory and capture the major port city of Antwerp.
Budget:
$6.5M
US Gross:
$11.12M
Worldwide:
$11.12M
Starring
Henry Fonda
Actor
Robert Shaw
Actor
Robert Ryan
Actor
Awards
Golden Globe 1966
— Best Supporting Actor
Golden Globe 1966
— Best Original Score
Key opinion
Battle of the Bulge is widely regarded as a flawed historical spectacle that prioritizes high-budget action over factual accuracy. While the performances, particularly by Robert Shaw, are frequently praised, the film's disregard for authentic military hardware and its reliance on fictionalized events alienate audiences seeking a realistic depiction of the Second World War.
| Acting | Robert Shaw provides an outstanding, commanding performance as the German Panzer colonel that anchors the film's dramatic core. | |
| Production | The production relies heavily on postwar M47 Patton and M24 Chaffee tanks, which serve as distracting, anachronistic substitutes for the authentic armor of 1944. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is criticized for its incoherent narrative, excessive fictionalization, and reliance on stagey, unrealistic character deaths. | |
| Originality | The film functions as a technically impressive visual spectacle, but its failure to capture the atmospheric reality of the Ardennes or historical terrain limits its credibility. | |
| Runtime | The nearly three-hour runtime is a polarizing element; some viewers appreciate the scale of the production, while others find the pacing exhausting and poorly utilized. |