Ahead of its Time

Saw it last night. You did not miss much. The Japanese soldier was about to toss some cigarettes to the wounded marine, and the Rip Torn character thought that he was about to throw a grenade. He then shot the Japanese. A few seconds later Cornel Wilde and his team caught up with Rip Torn. Wilde surveys the scene, the dead people, and sees that the wounded marine is deeply disturbed about something. Wilde gets this deeply pensive mood on him. The movie closes with a reprise of the combat painting seen in the beginning.

I agree with you very much that it was a film before its time. I can't remember when I first saw it, but I taped it and have watched it many times as it's one of my favorite all time war movies. Wilde and the entire cast did a phenomenal job. From the crushing of the bug on the deck of the troop ship to the tragic death of the Japanese soldier/artist, it's a heartbreaking look at war and its affect on young men. Rip Torn and the fanatical Japanese officer (or NCO, I can't remember his rank) represent the professional soldiers; Cliff and his Japanese artist/soldier are the counterpoint, young men just doing a job who would much rather be someplace else, and as a WW1 poet said, would much rather be drinking a beer together but due to circumstances, are intent on killing each other. It's a great and tremendously unknown and underrated movie.

I agree with you that this film is very poignant and powerful. Both "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Thin Red Line" were clearly inspired by this movie.

"We're all part Shatner/And part James Dean/Part Warren Oates/And Steven McQueen"

I never heard of this film until very recently. Is this the first (realistic) anti-war movie of the Vietnam era? It came before "Johnny Got His Gun" "Catch-22" and "Slaughterhouse 5." I know "The Best Years Of Our Lives" was made right after WWII ended.