Battle Cry - from beer to eternity- this Raoul Walsh directed ode to the marines is a long slog-148 minutes- and most of it is spent following the marines on liberty and their love lives.Some of it works- Aldo Ray is surprisingly effective as big lumberjack who falls for the New Zealand gal - but for the most part this overwrought melodrama follows lesser lights like Tab Hunter.Based on a script by Leon M. Uris and featuring a score by Max Steiner this movie is over-sentimental and a middling soap opera.James Whitmore does a good job as Mac the Sargent and Raymond Massey is fine in his cameo as a general-but for the most part this is a less glamorous and more plodding retake on the From Here to Eternity vibe.The DVD has a trailer and text retrospective on Walsh's directorial career.Avoid this like a landmine. C-
Review of Battle Cry
