Combat films are usually noted for the showcasing of battle sequences, normally situated in outdoor settings. However, Attack (1956) was based on Norman Brooks 1954 play Fragile Fox. Robert Aldrich decided to retain the theatrical dimension of the story by having the narrative focus of the German Advance sequence on the drama taking place inside the command post while the action scenarios instead primarily serve as exterior background context.
Like other combat films of the period, Back to Bataan (1945) relies heavy on sound design to help shape the auditory and visual space of the battle field. In addition, depictions of violence in combat films also were constrained by the strictures of the Production Code. As a result, certain scenes of potential graphic violence in the film are rendered off screen, in shadow, or only the aftermath is presented.
To fully understand the climactic Clansmen Rescue sequence in The Birth of a Nation (1915) it is necessary to first situate it in relation to the film’s overall racist ideological project. As a Civil War film, it overlooks the socioeconomic and political differences between the North and the South. Instead, the film proposes that the seeds of the conflict rested with the racial difference between whites and blacks and when the natural right of the former to rule over the latter was challenged by radical and misguided politicians. The Clansmen Rescue sequence supports this project by exploiting the moral valence of the rescue scenario. The sequence portrays the Ku Klux Klan as a heroic force that vanquishes Silas Lynch and his Black militia from control over the town of Piedmont.
While the first sequence in which Rambo is hunted down by the pursuing police posse in First Blood (1982) showcased his survival skills, the second capture sequence focuses upon highlighting Rambo stealth fighting abilities.
The arrival of the mission team to Navarone Island is marked by two notable sequences that underscore how nature itself can supply precarious environments to situate action.
Despite its modest length, the opening invasion sequence is notable for its economy in setting up the primary narrative premises that go on to shape the film’s overarching story.
