John Huston's "The Battle of San Pietro" (Restored 1944)
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- Director John Huston's "San Pietro" was one of the most dramatic and controversial documentary films to come out of World War II. Almost alone, it portrayed dead and wounded American soldiers and civilians on the battlefield (though always with reverence) and unflinchingly revealed the face of War. When Huston and his crew reached San Pietro, the battle for the town they had been assigned to shoot was effectively over, so several of the scenes were "recreated" using the same troops who had fought there. (The area was still close to the front line & subject to artillery fire.) The footage of dead and wounded is very real.
The films release was delayed by the U S Army, who said it would be bad for morale and that it portrayed the controversial Italian Campaign in a bad light. (Commanding General Mark Clark, one of the most widely criticized US commanders, looks distinctly uncomfortable talking about the Battle in the film's introduction.) The Italian campaign was controversial because it's primary purpose was to draw German divisions away from France and relieve the pressure on the Soviets in Russia. That meant many months of heavy, costly fighting for the Allies slogging over mountainous Italian terrain that favored the enemy, with few tangible results, other than the opportunity to assault the next ridge. An ugly series of battles of attrition.
General George Marshall was the film's savior in 1945, saying, "This picture should be seen by every American soldier in training. It will not discourage but rather will prepare them for the initial shock of combat." The film was released as a training tool. Huston was redeemed, decorated and made an honorary major. The film was not seen by the public until after the war, with several graphic scenes edited out (Those scenes have been restored here.) In 1991, The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being, "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
In addition to engrossing combat footage, the film shows a series of maps that give an unusually thorough explanation of the ongoing tactical situation.
The Battle of San Pietro was fought from 8-17 December, 1943, with Fifth Army forces attacking from the south against the heavily defended German "Winter Line" in and around the town of San Pietro Infine, south of Monte Cassino, between Naples and Rome. The Germans held the high ground and poured fire down into the Liri valley on advancing, exposed, Allied troops. After four successive, costly Allied attacks and enemy counter-attacks, the Germans pulled back from San Pietro, once both flanks (Mount Lungo and the Sambucaro peaks) were in II Corps' possession. It took six weeks of heavy fighting -- from early November to late December--to overcome the Winter Line. Fifth Army sustained 16,000 casualties. By January the Fifth Army had reached the Gustav Line defenses and began the ferocious Battle of Monte Cassino.
When accused of making an "anti-war" film, the film's director, John Huston replied that if he ever made a "pro-war" film, he should be taken out and shot. Uplifting final scenes from the liberation of the town of San Pietro put into perspective why such a heavy price was paid.
See this Video and more on our "Battle of San Pietro" DVD. Also Includes "Operating the M-1 Rifle" video ad 74 page M-1 manual! bit.ly/1abXdVD
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My grandfather PFC Peter Thomas DeCicco from Brooklyn, New York appears for a few seconds at around @29:01. He won the Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medals. Thank you for sharing and restoring this video. He was in Company K, 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th US Infantry Division during WWII. This unit was the first to enter Grenoble France, in August of 1944. He died before I was born, so getting to see him was bittersweet!!
That's my father at 13:50 helping to bring the stretcher down the hill. He removed his helmet to support the wounded soldier's head. He had a severe neck injury.
My father was wounded in this battle, Maybe your father helped mine out..
I see on other youtube video that there were some mexican american fighting on these battle
How cool- SALUTE!
Saluti da un abitante di san Pietro infine dove è stato girato questo documentario
Interesting to see the battle tactics explained so vividly and to see the horrors of war simultaneously. Thank you for sharing.
Staged or captured during actual battle, the film is quite powerful and enduring in how it includes the toll of war: the partial faces and bodies of dead American soldiers. All of whom were likely younger than 30-years-old, fighting on distant battlefields hardly anyone recalls today, the sons of fathers and mothers back home whose lives would never be the same. When I see those young soldiers disappearing into the burial shrouds never to be seen whole again, it is impossible not to grasp the totality of war and the completeness of death. Those men never got to experience a fraction of life that defines most of us, never had a chance to leave a personal legacy in children and grandchildren.
Very powerfull documentary! The Italian campaign was bloody!
Very well said
The war departement tried to ban this film, because of it showing the brutality of battle. Ike got his eys on it and made it mandatory to show i to the troops befor d-day; he thought the boys should know what they were up against. God man, Ike!
American Sons.
12:51
12:56
12:59
13:03
13:13
Each and everytime I revisit this Documentary I cry. I cry very hard.
11:23
A GI is shot dead.
He strikes the ground lifeless.
In this heart wrenching combat reel this sobering moment is recorded.
The great Elwy Yost interviews John Houston who tells the story about the screening of _The Battle of San Pietro_ to some American military top brass before distribution.
As short as the film is, one by one according to descending order of rank, each officer filed out till John Houston was left alone.
That was the end of Houston's film.
That is till George C. Marshall saw it, and declared that every man about to go into combat ought to see it.
And, here is Houston's film still.
Every American should watch this. Better yet every Congressperson should watch this.
I read for the 1st time on this movie by John Huston in a 1974 Newsweek issue,
about its restoration for showing in public.
The article said too that at the time of its production in 1943,
it was decided to withhold it from the public due to the distressing sight of casualties.
We must remember too that it was only in 1943 the first pictures of American dead
on the Buna beach in the Pacific were published in LIFE Magazine, causing quite a
shock in the public.
Actually, that was another John Huston film, called "Let There be Light". That film was about US soldiers suffering from PTSD. The Army deemed the film too shocking and kept it classified. Huston sued the US government to release the film and ultimately won in 1981.
Read "Day of Battle" by Rick Atkinson regarding the Italian Campaign. Unreal what our forces went through. Very sad and sobering. San Pietro is discussed.
Eric Ambler wrote the texts. A brilliant novelist, sadly neglected today. Read him.
Just listened to a BBC Radio 4 drama called Ambler The Battle of San Pietro. Interesting story. Good to see actual film.
That's what brought me here too.
@@pakistanidalek Yes, me too,
Me as well!
Just reading About Face by Col David H. Hackworth. He mentioned using this documentary in all his training so am looking forward to watching this.
Viva l italia è grazzie a i nostri nonni per i sacrifici che hanno sopportato
Thank you!
Hustons autobiography is a good read.
Aren't the 'battle scenes' in this actually filmed after the battle?
Some of them were. It’s a mixture. In some cases they filmed the actual participants where the action occurred. The account of the battle is accurate.
At 27 min. an American soldier emerges from a dugout with what appears to be a Mauser with the bolt on the left side. I assume the shot was reversed for some reason.
I'm surprised clark had time to do the intro- must not have had any better photo ops that day. He had bragged that he would be the last man to ever liberate Rome, so disobeying orders to reinforce the men that had hung on so long already was common for him. The only good thing was that his picture WAS on front pages around the world- again, as he predicted- BUT it was old news the next day= D-Day-lol God rest the poor Texans and all the others he left in his dust.
"Losses not excessive" unless it was your son in the body count.
Mark Clark was really bad.
Dovrebbero trasmetterlo nelle scuola.
Exactly. According to "Five Who Came Back" by Mark Harris (a book on WW2 movie directors), director John Huston made this film as a re-enactment instead of from actual combat film clips. The controversy is that Huston continued to pass it off as having been made during actual combat at San Pietro which is well known not to be true. Even the filming of the villagers was staged - they had fled the fighting and had to be trucked back for the filming.
The controversy involved whether or not a film with some recreated scenes was a true documentary and should be allowed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to be nominated for an academy award in the documentary field. Some people have taken that to mean the entire movie was faked.
Military cameramen were there during the actual battle and much of the film includes their combat film. Huston showed up later and rounded up some soldiers to recreate some scenes. But much of what you see in the 35 minutes is real.
My grandpa is in this and in the battle. According to him, some of it is real, some is not. They "cleaned" some of it up. If the soldier is clean looking it was filmed like 2-3 days after. If they are tired and sweaty looking it is real. According to my grandpa, it was nice because they all got showers and a shave for it.
Some is real and some is staged.
Mark Clark looks he had a stroke! Notice how his mouth droops on one side?
Wasn’t this re-enacted?
Clarke's insubordination extended the war in Italy and cost the lives of many men. Against orders he went for the glory of liberating Rome rather than cut off the retreating German army. The Germans or Russians would have shot him.
Morbius1963 WW 2 was full of primadonas looking to satisfy their inflated egos. Clark was definitely an asshole who sought personal glory above military needs. By far the worst was Monty. He was not the brilliant tactician some historians claim him to be. Market Garden was ill conceived and poorly executed. Victory Disease was not limited to the Japanese.
Jorge J Noguera I agree and disagree with your statement. Monty did well in North Africa. Market Garden was a damn disaster! Generals Clark,Patton, Montgomery all made bad mistakes. That said thank God we had them.
I completely agree.
He later commanded army forces in Korea.
@@jorgejnoguera1941 Yes Jorge, too bad Clark was ever born. And too bad that Patton slapped those to soldiers or Clark would never have been chosen to take over by his buddy Ike...
Seems the US and the Soviets fought the same way - charge!
Principi essenziali wasp di mark clarck. 5 army principi frederick winslov Taylor in. generale vai Luciano robella Asti
I like the disclaimer at the end of the movie; "for the purposes of continuity .... a few of the scenes were shot before or after the battle...." In fact, the entire documentary was shot after the battle ALL scenes are fake with the exception of most footage taken of the dead and wounded.
It is not fair to use the word "fake" in the case of this documentary. Military cameramen were there during the battle and much of their film was incorporated into what you see in this video. Huston showed up later, rounded up some soldiers to recreate some scenes, but that is not an unusual tactic in putting such a documentary together. Cut Huston some slack. Some scenes of American soldiers attacking are recreations, but some are not. Certainly the scenes of dead Americans are NOT recreated but actual.
All?
@@ChacoKid42 I do not think that those exploding phosphorous shells fired by the Germans are "recreations".
Not all but some
Lets stop calling this a documentary and instead label it an anti-war film. After all, that is exactly what this is. As for me, I need never see it again.
Gee, I'm so sad that you won't be watching this again. I'll probably cry myself to sleep tonight.
Two points, or questions, though... can't a film be both a documentary and anti-war? That's a hypothetical question by the way because I don't really see this as anti-war and I'm curious as to what you would like to have seen so you would remove that label. John Wayne?