Take the High Ground

Director: Richard Brooks Richard Brooks

Overview

In this film, Richard Widmark plays a tough drill sergeant, whipping his recruits through basic training in preparation for shipment to Korea. Carleton Carpenter is the standard-issue private who just can't seem to cut it, despite Widmark's relentless special attention.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/16/2016
UPC:	0888574374235
Original Release:	1953
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:41:00
Sales rank:	7,471

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Richard Widmark	Sgt. Thorne Ryan
Karl Malden	Sgt. Laverne Holt
Russ Tamblyn	Paul Jamison
Elaine Stewart	Julie Mollison
Carleton Carpenter	Merton Tolliver
Steve Forrest	Lobo Naglaski
Jerome Courtland	Elvin Carey
William Hairston	Daniel Hazard
Robert Arthur	Donald Q. Dover IV
Maurice Jara	Franklin D. No Bear
Chris Warfield	Soldier
Bert Freed	Sgt. Vince Opperman
Regis Toomey	Chaplain
Iris Adrian	Actor

Technical Credits

Millard Kaufman

Richard Brooks	Director
Dore Schary	Producer
Millard Kaufman	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Although Take the High Ground travels familiar territory, it does so with just enough punch and freshness to make it an entertaining viewing. It's true that all the basic elements carry with them a very definite sense of déjà vu -- the hard-ass drill sergeant, the other sergeant that the recruits identify with more, the recruits from all over who are defined pretty much by one characteristic, the inevitable conversion of the recruits into a lean fighting machine, and the woman whose love for the tough sergeant is unrewarded. Yet Millard Kaufman's screenplay deftly melds these elements into an engaging package, leavened with a dollop or two of humor here and there. More importantly, director Richard Brooks handles all the material with a precision and efficiency that makes it ring truer than it should. And most importantly, Richard Widmark leads a dream cast that takes the familiar and makes it new. Widmark was born for this kind of role, and he plays it for all its worth, hitting the highs but also finding nuances that make his character come alive. Karl Malden is excellent as his partner
ival, and Russ Tamblyn, Carleton Carpenter, Jerome Courtland, and William Hairston are aces as some of the more prominent trainees.