The Mountain Road 1960

The Mountain Road is a 1960 war film starring James Stewart and directed by Daniel Mann. Set in China and based on the 1958 novel of the same name by journalist-historian Theodore H. White, the film follows the attempts of a U.S. Army Major to destroy bridges and roads potentially useful to the Japanese during World War II. White’s time covering China for Time magazine during the war led to an interview with former OSS Major Frank Gleason Jr.,[1] who served as head of a demolition crew that inspired the story and film.[N 1] Gleason was later hired as an (uncredited) technical consultant for the film.[3] The film is a rather somber treatment of World War II and includes themes that were taboo for Hollywood during the war years, such as tensions between allies and racism among American troops. The protagonist is a frustrated and morally conflicted U.S. officer unsure about the value of his mission. For these reasons, The Mountain Road is often labeled anti-war. But it was made with the cooperation of the Penta