Lewis Milestone shows a bit of diversity in his opinions in war through this movie. Whereas "All Quiet on the Western Front" is a powerfully sympathetic anti-war message, "The Purple Heart" is a somewhat jingoistic outcry against Japanese Imperialism and their lack of regard to human rights. The sentiments are similar in some ways, but for the most part this movie is almost a call to arms.
The story is of a group of American bombers captured by the Japanese and put on trial as war criminals. While the action contains itself to the hearing and the prison walls, it's a dramatic and tense film, despite its obvious Orientalism (probably as a result of this movie's real-life ties to a similar trial early during the US involvement in WWII) and anger. Sometimes, however, Milestone goes into maudlin impressionistic asides to the characters' civilian lives, a sentimentality that this film really doesn't need. It works best when confined, and shows remarkable versatility by the blocking and organization of the drama in such small and limited spaces. The cut-aways to outside things do have their place in character development, but is often a lot less interesting than the imprisonment on hand.
--PolarisDiB
The story is of a group of American bombers captured by the Japanese and put on trial as war criminals. While the action contains itself to the hearing and the prison walls, it's a dramatic and tense film, despite its obvious Orientalism (probably as a result of this movie's real-life ties to a similar trial early during the US involvement in WWII) and anger. Sometimes, however, Milestone goes into maudlin impressionistic asides to the characters' civilian lives, a sentimentality that this film really doesn't need. It works best when confined, and shows remarkable versatility by the blocking and organization of the drama in such small and limited spaces. The cut-aways to outside things do have their place in character development, but is often a lot less interesting than the imprisonment on hand.
--PolarisDiB