This is a fine war film (just saw it recently on TCM as part of their series on the portrayal of blacks in films), and it is a shame that it has not been released on DVD for everyone to watch (film buffs, get out there and demand it!). It should be required viewing for so many reasons (a highlight performance by Frank Lovejoy, almost as good as James Edwards's work here; a first look at PTSD; an honest look at bigotry in the military; an exciting, tightly-scripted war picture, the list goes on...).
The ending is a bit too "fairy-tale" for my liking; not having read or seen the play, I cannot say if the ending has been changed to suit the film-going public. I think it would have been enough for Mingo to make a passing remark about going in to business with Moss, something along the lines of "Sure, Mossy, you and me running a place with me, the one-armed bartender - that would really go over big!". Then, there could be a sequel to the film where Mingo and Moss really do open up a place (?).
Someone, please help in making sure the quotes for this film are correctly attributed to Mingo and not to T.J. (his performance is a good one of an unlikeable character, up to his usual standard). Both quotes refer directly to the poem written by Mingo's wife: in the first, he makes an aside referring to his wife's love of repetition which refers to the repetition in the poem Mingo recited earlier; the second quote made by Mingo is a direct quote from his wife's poem. Later in the film, when Mingo has trouble shouldering his duffel bag, Moss quotes the same line in trying to offer help to Mingo with the duffel bag.
If you can, watch this film on Memorial Day for some added resonance.
The ending is a bit too "fairy-tale" for my liking; not having read or seen the play, I cannot say if the ending has been changed to suit the film-going public. I think it would have been enough for Mingo to make a passing remark about going in to business with Moss, something along the lines of "Sure, Mossy, you and me running a place with me, the one-armed bartender - that would really go over big!". Then, there could be a sequel to the film where Mingo and Moss really do open up a place (?).
Someone, please help in making sure the quotes for this film are correctly attributed to Mingo and not to T.J. (his performance is a good one of an unlikeable character, up to his usual standard). Both quotes refer directly to the poem written by Mingo's wife: in the first, he makes an aside referring to his wife's love of repetition which refers to the repetition in the poem Mingo recited earlier; the second quote made by Mingo is a direct quote from his wife's poem. Later in the film, when Mingo has trouble shouldering his duffel bag, Moss quotes the same line in trying to offer help to Mingo with the duffel bag.
If you can, watch this film on Memorial Day for some added resonance.