The Battle of San Pietro

The Battle of San Pietro is a 1945 documentary film directed by John Huston about the Battle of San Pietro Infine during World War II. It was shot by Jules Buck.

Huston and his crew were attached to the U.S. Army’s 143rd Regiment of the 36th Division. Unlike many other military documentaries, Huston’s cameramen filmed alongside the infantrymen as they fought their way up the hills to reach San Pietro. These cameramen were in just as much danger as the soldiers on the ground, often within a few feet of mortars and shells exploding and bullets ricocheting nearby.

The film is unflinching in its realism and was held up from being shown to the public by the United States Army. Huston quickly became unpopular with the Army, not only for the film but also for his response to the accusation that the film was anti-war. Huston responded that if he ever made a pro-war film, he should be shot.

Because it showed dead GIs wrapped in mattress covers, some officers tried to prevent soldiers in training from seeing it, for fear of damaging morale. General George Marshall came to Huston and the film's defense, stating that because of the film's gritty realism, it would make a good training film. The depiction of death would inspire soldiers to take their training more seriously. Subsequently the film was used for that purpose. Huston was no longer considered a pariah; he was decorated and eventually promoted to major.

In 1991, The Battle of San Pietro was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

The Battle of San Pietro, documentary directed by John Huston for the U.S. Army, 1945.