Major Baldwin's jeep is obviously a post-World War II model, with the visible differences being the jeep seen in the film had larger headlights, a gas tank filler neck and cap in a cutout in the left rear quarter panel (instead of under the driver's seat), and the axe and shovel were affixed under the right front door cutout (instead of under the left front cutout), all different from World War II jeeps.
Just after Collins (Glen Corbett) is killed, Major Baldwin (Jimmy Stewart) goes to close Collins eyes.
There is a fly by Collins' right eye and as Maj Baldwin goes to close his eyes, Collins blinks his eyelid - despite being dead.
When Baldwin and his unit arrive at the ammunition dump they're supposed to blow up, it consists of several small buildings and shacks.
But the interior shots showing mountains of ammunition have no resemblance to the buildings they're supposed to be intwo of them are clearly gigantic tunnels ten or twenty times as long as the buildings that are supposedly being inspected.
The plane shown on the ground, and making its take off roll is a B-25 with it's twin tail.
But the plane shown in the air as it flies away is a B-26 with its single tail.
America has never really known what to make of the Chinese, but in this lengthy and ponderous screen version of Theodore White's 1958 novel made during The Great Leap Forward but set when Japan was the common enemy a Chinese officer could declare "America is China's best friend!"American major Jimmy Stewart puts his ambivalence towards his current allies on hold while concentrating upon the more pressing business of blowing up bridges and ammunition dumps while Frank Silvera as a Chinese colonel adds yet another string to his bow of miscellaneous but usually sinister ethnic types.
Jimmy Stewart is "Maj. Baldwin" who commands a squad of American demolition experts left in China towards the end of WWII to thwart the advancing Japanese forces.
This is an amazing film about what it truly means to be "unfit for command". His "unit for command" character volunteers to lead a demolition team of 7 other men in war torn, famine torn China during World War II, in an attempt to slow down the advance of the Japanese.
Never heard of this movie before but Mountain Road is a very engrossing movie about a relatively unknown theatre of WW2 taking place in China during the end of the Japanese occupation. Stewart is excellent in the lead as is the entire cast with special mention to Lisa Lu a Chinese /American actress in a rare lead role.
"The Mountain Road" is a different and interesting war film. Set in China in 1944, it is about a U.
Any Stewart movie is worth viewing and this one is no exception as Stewart works very hard with a challenging script to make this work. He nearly pulls it off though the lines in the script just are not real memorable.
This is a rare film that criticizes the KMT in China's war with Japan in 1944. The KMT was fighting the CCP (Communists) at the same time they were fighting the Japanese.
I watched this movie on commercial late-night TV when I was 17 (in 1969). I am sure I then missed most of what was there to be gleaned, however, the soundtrack was compelling.
It's World War II in China. The Japanese are advancing and the Chinese and a handful of Americans are retreated.
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