Year of Release: 1958Country of Origin: USA
Director: Edward Dmytryk
Cast: Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin, Hope Lange
Plot outline: The destiny of three soldiers: one German and two Americans, paralleling their experiences in World War II until they meet up at the end for a confrontation (IMDb).
The Young Lions tells in great detail how each of these soldiers comes to view the war, as it makes its appeal as an anti-war movie. Marlon Brando turns into a conflicted Nazi, who has become disillusioned by the war but can't escape from it. Dean Martin is shamed into volunteering by his girlfriend, Margaret, and riddled with guilt that Montgomery Clift is fighting and he's got a soft gig. Clift intensely plays his role as the anguished Jewish outsider filled with a mixture of pathos and optimism. Brando might have the showy German accent but Clift's sensitive performance brings out greater depth than Brando did in his character. The two shared no scenes together, so we can only judge them separately. Martin takes on his first serious role after breaking up with comedian partner Jerry Lewis. All three stars shine and give this movie a luster despite periodic breakdowns in the way the episodic story was told. Besides being overlong, there were too many scenes where the action seemed forced, as if only used to make a plot point. It should also be noted that Swedish actress May Britt, Swiss actor Maximilian Schell, French actress Dora Doll and Italian actress Liliane Montevecchi all made their US film debuts here. (DS)
My judgement: *** out of 4 stars
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