The Red Badge of Courage (1974)

Two words.  Skip it!  Wait for the 1951 version of this starring Audie Murphy and Bill Mauldin to come around on the tube, or something.  Just avoid this at all costs.

Stephen Crane's classic novel, "The Red Badge of Courage", about a boy who becomes a man through the trials of his experience in the Civil War is turned into a glossy Cliff Notes version here.

Starring Richard "John Boy Walton" Thomas, his less-than-stellar performance *is* the highlight of the hour.  Which is about all the longer this made-for-TV fiasco is (thank goodness!)

The production is mediocre, and I quickly grew weary of the strings-and-harmonica "country" soundtrack they plastered on here.

Better yet, sit down and just read the book.  I'm sure most of us had to read it at one point in our schooled past, but it might warrant a second look....

Technorati Tags: red badge of courage, richard thomas, stephen crane, 1974, civil war, classics, simply awful, dreadful

Related posts:

1. Courage Under Fire (1996)
2. Hearts and Minds (1974)
3. Gods and Generals (2003/2011, Blu Ray Director’s Cut)
4. Glory (1989)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 20th, 2007 at 5:33 am and is filed under 1970s, Reviews, US Civil War Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.