Battle Hymn (1957)

Synopsis: Rock Hudson gives a perfect performance as Colonel Dean Hess, a World War II pilot who launches an air attack that inadvertently obliterates a German orphanage. After the war, Hess becomes a minister and tries desperately to deal with the guilt he retains from the bombing. When the Korean War... Rock Hudson gives a perfect performance as Colonel Dean Hess, a World War II pilot who launches an air attack that inadvertently obliterates a German orphanage. After the war, Hess becomes a minister and tries desperately to deal with the guilt he retains from the bombing. When the Korean War erupts, Hess learns about hundreds of Korean children left orphaned by the fighting and reenlists. He flies missions and trains pilots and, hoping for redemption, founds an orphanage. Director Douglas Sirk, much as he did with an earlier Hudson vehicle, MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION, crafts a riveting, poignant melodrama around the themes of guilt and redemption. BATTLE HYMN, steeped in choral music and illuminated by epic production values, features Korean orphans flown in to Universal Studios to play themselves. [More]