Blu-ray Release Date: Dec. 8, 2015
Price: Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Twilight
The 1958 war drama Kings Go Forth is derived from novelist and journalist Joe David Brown’s World War II Army experiences in Southern France, where he served with distinction and was awarded the Purple Heart and Croix de Guerre with Palm.
The film revolves around a romantic triangle involving two soldier buddies (Suddenly‘s Frank Sinatra and Insignificance‘s Tony Curtis) in love with the same Frenchwoman (Natalie Wood, Meteor), an American-born mulatto of mixed-race parentage, an issue that Hollywood dealt with rarely and tamely. Reportedly Dorothy Dandridge (Carmen Jones) was initially intended for Wood’s role but the producers shied away and went with Wood. However, the star power of the three leads and the combat sequences that were interspersed among the romantic interludes ensured the picture’s success.
Directed by versatile multi-genre filmmaker Delmer Daves (3:10 to Yuma), the film ultimately drove home the impact of the personal disarray that the chaos of war and the sad legacy of prejudice create.
As supplier Twilight Time prints up only 3,000 copies of each title, be sure to keep on the Twilight Time site or that of distributor Screen Archives for the Nov. 20 prebook date!
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