Pork Chop Hill is a traditional war film – (unlike Steel Helmet (1951)).  (I am not suggesting any more or less value in either film by saying that….)  Pork Chop Hill is, however, the better movie, I’d say.  Steel Helmet came out early in the Korean War and was thus without the kind of budget and big named stars as Pork Chop Hill.

I have no doubts in recommending it.  If you like the war genre, you should like this movie.  It is in black&white, but that shouldn’t stop you.

As in all my reviews, I don’t like giving plot details, because I don’t like knowing them before I watch a movie…

Gregory Peck is the primary star – and excellent as always.

There are a lot of other young, recognizable faces in the cast – like William Blake – Normal Fell from the TV show Three’s Company – Martin Landau - Rip Torn – Gavin MacLeod – Woody Strode – and more.

The Lt. Ohashi character is played by an actor named George Shibata – and he had the look of a soldier – and did a good job with the part.

The movie is based on that book by the same name and claims to faithfully tell the story.  it was also made with the cooperation of the US Army — which likely says something about how acceptable the US government at the time found it.

Since I’ve had an eye recently on the possible political notes in movies, I’d say this one had one:

It comes earlier in the film and is repeated in specific fashion near the end.

Gregory Peck plays a Lt. and leader of the whole unit.  Lt. Ohashi, I think it was, asks him before they go into battle if Pork Chop Hill is worth all the blood and effort they are expending on it – and Peck says something like:

“Well, every time the Chinese take a chip here, they raise the ante over there.  So, I guess we’ve got to show them we’re willing to keep up with the stakes.”

That’s a rough paraphrase, but it captures the core of it.

And that message is repeated in more detail at the end of the movie when the big shots – the generals negotiating the cease fire at Panmunjeom – huddle together.

They see no reason the Chinese are continuing the fight over what both sides consider ——– an insignificant piece of land —- but the American brass decide it must be a test of Allied (American) resolve to fight.

I think most readers will be familiar with the geopolitical/geostrategic Domino Theory used in the Cold War enough to see its echo here….

Which would place this movie to the right of center in the Cold War rather than the left, I’d offer…..

It came out in 1959 – which would put it before the Vietnam War but solidly within the Cold War.  The Korean War itself was a shock – slapping away the last illusions that a Cold War wasn’t already in the works.  And 1959 was far enough along that the people as a whole had resigned themselves to the long haul.

It would take the Vietnam War heating up a few years later to shake that resolve…