BATTLE OF SAN PIETRO (1945) B/W 33m dir: John Huston

Documentary about the capture of an Italian city by U.S soldiers during WWII.

From Documentary: A History of the Non-Fiction Film: "The Battle of San Pietro was made in 1944 to explain 'why we hadn't swept over Italy' as rapidly as had been expected. In carrying out the assignment, Huston conveyed unforgettably the foot soldier's experience of battle and awareness of his expendability, in a slaughter of uncertain value. After the fighting we see the dead put into sacks; in his original version, Huston used the voices of the dead men, as recorded before battle, over shots of their dead bodies --- an extraordinarily poignant use of the sound track. The military hierarchy was horrified. Cuts were ordered, and even then release of the film was delayed until the war was almost over. Huston later recounted dialogue at a Pentagon screening. One general said: 'This picture is pacifistic. It's against war. Against the war. Against war.' Huston replied, 'Well, sir, whenever I make a picture that's for war --- why, you can take me out and shoot me.' Yet Huston insisted his main purpose was not to condemn war but to express his deep feeling for the men."