Alas, Brando and Clift are never on screen together. Only Martin's brunette beauty, Barbara Rush, manages to be with each of the three leads, since Brando's saga as a German officer mostly stands alone. Brando initially believes that a militarily triumphant Germany will bring peace and stability to Europe. However, he slowly realizes that his Nazi superiors are evil, and the confusion and despair that follows parallels the collapse of the Third Reich.
Supporting actors in Brando's unhappy journey include his fanatical superior, Maximilian Schell, Schell's jaded and seductive blonde wife May Britt, Brando's hottie French brunette would-be girlfriend Liliane Montevecchi, gregarious fellow German officer Parley Baer, and extermination camp Commandant Kurt Katch.
Meanwhile, in the United States, Clift and Martin endure their own difficulties during their path from civilian life to front line duty in Europe. Clift is a Jewish department store clerk whose earnest demeanor impresses entertainer Dean Martin when both are named 1-A for the draft. Martin sets Clift up with equally earnest blonde Hope Lange and, because it is a movie, both promptly fall in love.
In boot camp, Captain Herbert Rudley encourages the bullying of Clift by fellow privates. To preserve his honor, Clift challenges them to fist fights, reminiscent of his character in From Here to Eternity. Clift deserts his unit (also as in Eternity), but, because it is a movie, Rudley is court martialed instead.
Meanwhile, Martin finagles his way into a transfer into an entertainer's unit, where he will be safe. But he is wracked with guilt over his cowardly actions, and somehow, Barbara Rush is there as well, needling Martin mercilessly. Because it is a movie, Martin decides to transfer into Clift's regiment on the front line in Europe.
The film is loosely based on the 1948 bestseller by Irwin Shaw, his first novel. However, despite Shaw's experience as a screenwriter, the screenplay was by Edward Anhalt.
How others will see it. The Young Lions did well at the box office. It was the second biggest film of the year for 20th Century Fox, behind South Pacific. Surprisingly, it received only three Oscar nominations, for its cinematography, score, and sound. The Golden Globes barely noticed it. BAFTA was kinder, nominating it as Best Film, and Brando as Best Foreign Actor.
Today at imdb.com, the movie has a fairly low 4600 user votes, and the average user rating of 7.4 is little more than respectful. The key demographic of women over 45 grades it 7.6. Some believe the movie is too long, even boring. This view is especially taken by war action fans uninterested in the many romantic scenes. But those who enjoy romance may not want to see, for example, German soldiers machine gun an entire regiment of Allied troops.
How I felt about it. I like the movie, much more than From Here to Eternity, which it somewhat resembles. I find the slow pace agreeable, as it develops character and Edward Anhalt's talent for screenplay conversations. Brando is as skilled an actor as ever, and even his German accent is listenable. Clift apparently became a drug addict following his notorious automobile accent from the year before, but it does not affect his performance here. Both Brando and Clift were born in Omaha, Nebraska, four years apart. I mention this solely because I was also born in Omaha.
The film certainly works, scene by scene, which is the most important element. We do wonder about Brando's character. He rejects opportunities to desert the Nazi army, even when it is obvious the cause is lost. He also doesn't accept Nazi genocide until after his "smoking gun" conversation with the concentration camp director.
We don't believe Dean Martin would feel that guilty about not spending the war in a foxhole. After all, he is in his forties, and looks it. During World War II, the real Dean Martin was drafted but never got closer to the Axis than Akron, Ohio, and was discharged from the Army due to a hernia. One would think girlfriend Barbara Rush would be more supportive and less angst-ridden. But, that would lack the conflict requisite of a romance drama.
It is strange that Clift would feel the need to prove his manhood by picking fights with other soldiers from his unit, and then desert once he has accomplished this task. He is the humorless hero of the movie, saving their lives despite the harassment from them that he has earlier endured at length. Ultimately, though, all that matters to him is his wife and baby. The rest is duty, and unlike Martin, he has no fear of getting shot. After all, he's read the script.