young lions

If one is an admirer of lost studio classics (a category that Twilight Time has made enjoyably collectible for those of us who lean that direction) then The Young Lions is a very pleasant way to spend three hours. Starring a trio of top-billed names (Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin) drifting through the beginning, middle and end of WWII in various states of patriotic fervor, cowardly retreat and psychological trauma, director Edward Dmytrk’s film is unquestionably beautiful but often heaps on the pathos with a trowel to build its brick and mortar melodrama.

Splitting the story into three tangents that must inevitably coverage, Christian (Brando) is an ambitious German soldier who begins to question the orders he’s forced to carry out. Michael (Martin) is a Broadway crooner who fights his impending draft with every personal favor he can call in. Meanwhile, Noah (Clift) agreeably enters basic training despite leaving behind a new bride and enduring constant ant-Semitic bias from his fellow soldiers and commanding officer.

The Young Lions gives each story thread plenty of time to weave itself into the greater tapestry, some more deserving than others. Brando, despite a distractingly lispy German accent, radiates charisma like a great, golden god. Dmytrk is obviously giving him a long leash – in several scenes his dialogue barely registers above a whisper – but Brando rewards him in the end. In the prime of his career, the actor’s close-cropped Aryan haircut and pouty lips seem to emote all by themselves.

As if announcing “There’s not enough room in this war for two Method actors,” Montgomery Clift inserts an endless variety of quirks and mannerisms in his performance. Things start off a bit desperate but the actor finds a comfortable groove eventually, especially in his scenes with Dean Martin, who seems the most effortless of the bunch in a role that, admittedly, isn’t that demanding. But it’s the revolving door of actresses who make the most of their small roles, particularly Hope Lange as the girl left behind and May Britt as the seductive wife of a German captain (Maximillian Schell, who also steals a few scenes).

Lest one think that the film is only a disparate collection of performance highlights, cinematographer Joe MacDonald captures wartime locales – from the stunning vistas of Paris and North Africa to quaint Brooklyn streets and army barracks – with endless gradients of black and white brilliance. The Young Lions looks every bit the widescreen epic, yet the feels somehow disconnected from the setting itself; as if the war is merely a backdrop for a trio of character studies that aren’t worthy of the frame around them.

Twilight Time’s 3000-copy limited edition Blu-ray ranks among their best, with a transfer that dares you to find a flaw, isolated score track, trailer and audio commentary with Lem Dobbs, Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo, whose liner notes provide essential info on the film’s cast and crew.