It's 1944 and Allied forces have pushed German troops back to their original borders, causing people to wonder: could the war be over soon? Not for Private Manning, a US soldier who's lost the sense of invulnerability which carried many young men through the conflict. He's trapped in the battle for Hurtgen Forest, a meat grinder that's killing thousands. As the sole survivor of his platoon, Manning just wants to live, but his survival skills have led to promotion, command and dangerous missions.
Powerful, cynical and visceral, When Trumpet's Fade is an excellent but flawed film about the shocked men who fought in the dirtier combats on the Western Front. The dialogue is the most noticeable problem; while it's good to hear soldiers actually swearing, the impression is of modern Americans, not those brought up in the 1930's. Some of the tactics are also faulty as, although the events aren't beyond possibility, historians have argued they didn't happen at Hurtgen. In addition, the actual forest is apparently of a different type to the one shown, while the trees should have suffered far more damage.
Such historical problems reduce the educational value of this film, but just consider it a story set during World War 2, as opposed to about World War 2, and enjoy, because When Trumpet's Fade is still worth watching. While never reaching the sustained impact of Saving Private Ryan's opening and closing battles, the combat is good and the carnage and bodies are spread throughout the whole of When Trumpet's, creating a palpable sense of destruction.
The images are uncompromising, showing men crying, breaking down and running away in the face of modern warfare. Furthermore, the unfortunate flag waving of Saving Private Ryan is lacking here, replaced by the thoughts and observations of cynical, scared or brutalised men. In an era where our media considers soldiers 'heroic' simply for signing up, When Trumpet's Fade explores a battle with no technological safety net, refusing to gloss over the consequences. In doing so, this film brings some humanity back to the soldier.
