In a day and age when theatrical releases leave one wanting, this TV movie Delivers.When Trumpets Fade tells the story of Manning (Ron Eldard), a man who has seen more than his share of hell and wants more of it. But war is a jealous mistress and won't let him go so easily. While Private Manning, then Sergeant Manning, then eventually Lt. Manning would just like to go home, he's continually called upon to lead others into battle in one of the most horrific events of WWII.This being a TV movie one hardly expects that there was a huge production budget. Yet John Irvin (Hamburger Hill), working from a brilliant screenplay by W.W. Vought, directs and brilliant cast of familiar, if not A-List faces through an incredibly moving and gripping tale.Working with the elegant natural landscape, production designer László Rajk makes the past come alive in the here and now. While cinematographer Thomas Burstyn catches the action and the drama like he's working with a blockbuster budget. In all aspects When Trumpets Fade stands proudly among the best war movies ever made. A near perfect execution.

***SPOILERS*** We first get to see Pvt. David Manning, Ron Eldard, desperately trying to drag back to base from behind enemy lines the badly wounded Pvt. Bobby Miller, Jeffrey Donovan. Manning seeing that there's no hope of him surviving and knowing that he'll have to leave Bobby behind puts him out of his suffering with a bullet in his skull. It's back at base that a very reluctant Pvt.Manning, who wants a section 8 mental discharge, is promoted to sergeant by his company commander Capt. Pritchett, Martin Donovan, just for the fact that he's the only survivor of his entire unit!Knowing that he's no hero Sgt. Manning tries to hide it from the men he's put in charge of only to prove Capt. Pritchett right. He has a unique survival instinct which is soon to reflect on the men in his unit. Try as he may everything that Sgt. Manning does even shooting one of his own men, who turned chicken and ran jeopardizing the entire unite, ends up saving more then losing lives in combat! It's later when a major assault is planned against the Germans defending the almost impregnable Siegfried Line, the Dragon's Teeth, sergeant now promoted to 1st Let Manning in an attempted to catch the defending Germans off guard goes against orders and decides to jump start the attack at night not dawn like he was ordered to do. Despite all the odds against him the assault on the German positions works but it cost him all the men that agreed to go along with his suicidal plan.***SPOILERS*** Badly wounded in the fighting 1st Let. Manning is carried back from behind enemy lines by the only survivor, besides himself, of his combat team Pvt. Sandy Sanderson, Zak Orth. Pvt. Sanderson happens to be the man whom Manning left on his own the day before when he got lost, as the unit point man, behind enemy lines and made it back just before Manning and his men were about to leave him to die there! This time around Pvt. Sanderson, risking his own life, carried a badly wounded Let. Manning back to safety unlike what Manning did to him as well as Pvt. Bobby Miller earlier in the movie! Even though Let. Manning wasn't alive to to see it when he with Pvt. Sanderson's help made it back to base!P.S The film depicts the furious and bloody fighting in the almost forgotten battle of the Hurtgen Forest, known as the Death Factory, on the Belgium German border. What turned out to be the longest single US military engagement of the entire Second World War the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest lasted, from September 1944 to February 1945, five months and ended up in a stalemate costing the US Army over 40,000 casualties, the equivalent of more then two fully manned US infantry divisions, with some 12,000 of them being fatal.

After reading all the positive reviews on IMDb about this movie, I couldn't wait to see it. Well, it was a nice effort but alas a bit overrated. It's hard to forget you're watching a made for television movie while sitting through this one, unfortunately the film can't shake that air of low budget. The fighting scenes, what little there were, had a certain cheese factor to them. Some of the explosions looked like they came from cheap fireworks, the gunfire was dubbed in later and is totally incorrect for the weapons being used, we didn't get to see enough of the Germans, just American G.I.'s charging into endless explosions. Wish there had been more character development, because there was really none. The movie tries hard to be dramatic, but it's hard to feel emotional or sympathetic about someone you know nothing about. Attention to detail was really pretty good, everything looked pretty much correct(weapons/uniforms/gear) except for the German Tanks.With that being said, the movie did keep my attention for the 90 minute running time. When it comes to war movies, i've seen much worse, and I don't mind the $5 I paid for this one and am glad to have it in my collection. It's not a terrible movie at all, just simply middle of the road; nothing more, nothing less. Certainly no Saving Private Ryan, but worth a look if you're a fan of World War II or War films.

there was very little which was good about this. I'd say the only thing i REALLY found interesting/good was the odd choice of soundtrack - but that can probably be attributed to some degree to the budget - which is NOT what i'm complaining about here.there are things in this movie that are just stupid - such as a guy with a flame thrower in a forest battle who takes a 50 yard charge - by himself - across a flat, open area towards a half dozen armed Germans who are manning a few 88s. They all fire at him, but somehow miss - i guess his screaming deflects it - anyway, he managed to reach them, at which point they all take turns screaming and running from him as he chases them all down individually - in the open - and torches them.This pretty much explains a good chunk of this movies ridiculousness. I won't even get into the whole promoted from private to lieutenant in 3 days thing or anything else...