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Battle Hymn

1957 · 109 min

A solemn, heartfelt war drama that balances guilt and redemption with gentle romance, moving at a steady, earnest pace.

Directed by
Douglas Sirk
Genres
Drama, War
Tagline
The true story of Col. Dean Hess, clergyman turned fighter pilot!
Overview
Dean Hess, who entered the ministry to atone for bombing a German orphanage, decides he’s a failure at preaching. Rejoined to train pilots early in the Korean War, he finds Korean orphans raiding the airbase garbage. With a pretty Korean teacher, he sets up an orphanage for them and others.

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Directed by
Douglas Sirk
Genres
Drama, War
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • warmstrength 1 of 3
  • romanticstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • guilt
  • redemption
  • faith
  • war
  • love
Places
  • military
  • countryside
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language none
  • Violence mild
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action5
Horror2
Humour2
Realism7
Romance4
Tension5
Darkness6
Complexity4
Emotional weight8

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Cast

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Details

Genres
drama, war
Directed by
Douglas Sirk
Written by
Charles Grayson, Vincent B. Evans
Starring
Rock Hudson, Anna Kashfi, Dan Duryea, Don DeFore, Martha Hyer, Jock Mahoney, Alan Hale Jr., James Edwards
Cinematography
Russell Metty
Runtime
109 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
German, English, Spanish, Korean

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