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Poster for The Mountain Road

The Mountain Road

Seen it?

1960 | 102 min | Drama, War

Weeknight Watchearly rating

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With soft box office and little lasting buzz, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Tailor-made for readers who like to compare the book and the screen version and war-film fans. Adapted from a book, so readers can compare notes. Fans of The Bridge on the River Kwai or The Guns of Navarone should feel right at home.
The mood
Intense.
The pace
Character-first and patient, at 1 hr 42 min.
What might put you off
  • Made in 1960: an older pace and style.
  • Not the one if you want explosions or easy laughs.

In 1944, in eastern part of China, U.S.Army Major Baldwin and his volunteer team of demolition engineers are left behind the retreating Chinese forces. Their task is to slow down the Japanese advance into eastern China by blowing up bridges, roads, airfields and munitions dumps. They start by blowing up an American airfield and ammo dump. They receive the order to destroy a vital bridge over a mountain pass.The team uses a few army trucks to move around. At the bridge, they encounter a Nationalist Chinese Army unit in charge of guarding the bridge. Thanks to an American soldier who speaks some Chinese, Major Baldwin requests the permission, from the Chinese commander, to blow up the bridge.The Chinese colonel agrees but asks the American Major to do him a favor by also destroying a munitions dump located at some distance away.He also requests that Madame Sue-Mei Hung, the widow of a Chinese colonel, be transported by the American demolition team to the nearest major town.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsNot counted

    Not enough reviews on record yet

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Box office & staying powerBelow par

    $2 million worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactBelow par

    About 14K people sought it out in the past year

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Cast & crew

Directed by Daniel Mann

  • James StewartMajor Baldwin
  • Lisa LuSue-Mei Hung
  • Glenn CorbettCollins
  • Harry MorganMike Michaelson
  • Frank SilveraColonel Kwan
  • James BestNiergaard
  • Rudy BondSergeant Miller
  • Mike KellinPrince
  • Frank MaxwellSergeant Ballo
  • Eddie FirestoneMajor Lewis