San Pietro (Short 1945)

San Pietro (Short 1945). 32m | Unrated

“I saw this film while watching my copy of the 4-DVD set u0026quot;Treasures From American Film Archivesu0026quot;–a set of mostly ephemeral films that would have otherwise been lost.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;San Pietrou0026quot; is a film assembled by the US War Department to chronicle one of many battles from WWII. Like so many government films made during WWII, it is narrated by a Hollywood star (director John Huston) and I assume it was made by film makers who were in military service for the war.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe filmu0026#39;s narration and images are surprisingly blunt and free from extreme patriotism–making it highly realistic and gripping. In other words, the film is not all about American victory but shows casualties and describes how difficult this battle was–not some jingoistic rant meant to glorify war and make it seem like the troops were super-human. While some might have thought this would demoralize the folks at home (hence it was held for release for two years), it was direct, informative and well-constructed. At times, it felt almost as if you were there in the action and was very compelling–and a nice tribute to real sacrifices made by some very brave soldiers as well as an important historical record.”