Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Fixed Bayonets! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 1, 2016

Sam Fuller's "Fixed Bayonets!' (1951) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; collection of stills; and audio commentary by film scholar Adrian Martin. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring new essay by critic Glenn Kenny and excerpts from Sam Fuller's autobiography A Third Face. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Left behind

Sam Fuller made two films about the Korean War and they were both released in 1951. The first, The Steel Helmet, is currently available only on DVD, while the second, Fixed Bayonets!, was recently restored by Twentieth Century Fox and is now out on Blu-ray.

The film is set somewhere high up in the Korean mountains where a group of American soldiers are ordered to stay behind and cover the withdrawal of their comrades. The task is extremely dangerous because the Chinese and North Korean divisions in the area can easily discover that they are being played and quickly wipe out the Americans. However, because it is winter and visibility is low the Americans hope that they can execute their plan as intended.

The two sides exchange fire but eventually the cold weather and the snow force them to pull back and regroup. Most of the Americans then gather in a small cave where they discuss their strategy. The men are exhausted and quite frustrated because they realize that they may never be able to leave the area alive.

The main character in the film is Corporal Denno (played by Richard Baseheart, who also appeared in The Steel Helmet), who deep inside feels that he does not belong on the battlefield. Initially his frustration isn’t too obvious, but as the film progresses it becomes evident that he struggles to be the soldier he is expected to be. Eventually, he is faced with some very serious dilemmas because one after another his superiors are killed and he emerges as the leader of the Americans.

The film works rather well because Fuller does not attempt to infuse it with the type of patriotic glitz other similarly themed films from the era boast. The soldiers are seen as tough men who understand their roles and the war they are fighting, but they also emerge as real people with real weaknesses. They are not mindless killing machines who blindly follow the orders of their leaders and look invincible. There is a clear sense throughout the film that life is precious and that similar sacrifices are made by the opposing sides.

It would be a mistake, however, to assume that the film offers an authentic depiction of the misery soldiers endured during the Korean War. (Another mistake would be to assume that a single film can actually do so as the conflict left many men with vastly different scars and forced them to evaluate it with completely different mindsets). Basically, it is Fuller’s personal interpretation of the reality the soldiers faced and their emotional responses to it.

The sets look good but it is frequently easy to tell that the film’s budget was not gigantic. Many of the larger panoramic shots quickly reveal that the soldiers are placed in an artificial environment. However, the intense fights and the different explosions look quite impressive.

The iconic James Dean made his acting debut in this film, but viewers unaware that he is in it will have a difficult time spotting him.

Fixed Bayonets! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 and granted a 1080p transfer, Sam Fuller's Fixed Bayonets! arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a recent 4K restoration of the film. The restoration was completed by Twentieth Century Fox.

The vast majority of the film looks absolutely terrific in high-definition. During the daylight footage as well as during most of the darker footage detail and clarity are excellent. There are numerous close-ups that make it remarkably easy to see plenty of small details and objects (see screencaptures #5 and 13). Depth is also pleasing, though there are some obvious density fluctuations during the darker footage. Some of the fluctuations are clearly inherited, but there are a few segments where it appears that some digital touch-up work was done. In these segments some temporary flatness emerges, though it never becomes distracting. The most obvious example is during the first longer discussion in the cave (see screencapture #9). Elsewhere a rather similar effect emerges, but this time the grading appears to be responsible for the unevenness (see screencapture #14). In these segments the grain isn't as well exposed and resolved as it is elsewhere (another example where the effects of the touch-up work are noticeable can be seen in screencapture #16). There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is very good. Finally, there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, or warped frames to report in our review. All in all, this is a very strong presentation of Fixed Bayonets! which will almost certainly remain the film's definitive presentation on the market. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Fixed Bayonets! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is very good. There isn't even a whiff of background hiss and clarity is fantastic. Depth does fluctuate a bit, but these sporadic fluctuations are production limitations. The dialog is always stable and well balanced -- there are no sudden spikes or drops in terms of volume/density.

Fixed Bayonets! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Fixed Bayonets!. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of stills from the film.

• Audio Commentary - in this audio commentary, film scholar Adrian Martin discusses Sam Fuller's views on war and how it is depicted in cinema, Fixed Bayonets! and the Hollywood-esque structure of its narrative, some of the qualities of the main protagonist (Denno), the film's initial reception by the critics, the sets and the staged battle scenes, etc.

• Booklet - illustrated booklet featuring new essay by critic Glenn Kenny and excerpts from Sam Fuller's autobiography A Third Face.

Fixed Bayonets! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sam Fuller's first film for Twentieth Century Fox, Fixed Bayonets!, is an intense war drama about a group of American soldiers who are outnumbered by their enemies high up in the Korean mountains. It works rather well because Fuller does not attempt to infuse it with the type of patriotic glitz other similarly themed films from the era boast. Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray release is sourced from a recent 4K restoration of the film which is quite wonderful. RECOMMENDED.