Take the High Ground! is a film about the Korean War, starring Richard Widmark and Karl Malden as drill instructors who must transform a batch of everyday civilians into soldiers. The film was directed by Richard Brooks. In May 1953, a new group of Army recruits at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas encounter their drill instructors, Sgt. Laverne Holt and the tough-as-nails Sgt. Thorne Ryan . After Ryan's caustic appraisal of the recruits, Holt vows to make soldiers out of them during their sixteen weeks of basic training. Ryan, a combat veteran who resents his stateside duty, repeatedly applies... for a transfer back to the Korean front. One night, the men cross the border to Mexico for recreation. In a bar, Ryan and Holt see a beautiful woman, Julie Mollison , buying drinks for a group of soldiers. Later that evening, the two sergeants escort the inebriated Julie to her apartment, and Ryan finds himself drawn to her. Training begins. Ryan exposes his men to tear gas to prepare them for the harsh conditions of battle. Ryan and Holt return to the bar one night, and find Julie sitting alone. When the crude Sgt.
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| Release date: | October 30, 1953 |
| Directed by: | Richard Brooks |
| Runtime: | 101 Minutes |
| Producer: | Dore Schary |
| Editor: | John Dunning |
| Music by: | Dimitri Tiomkin |
| Cinematography: | John Alton |
| Screenplay by: | Millard Kaufman |
| Genre: | Comedy |