Dec 23rd  
Battle of the Bulge**    
(US 1965)    
Warner Bros/Cinerama/United States Pictures. 170m. Ultra Panavision

Crack Panzer tanks make an unexpected burst for victory through the American lines in the winter of 1944.
Gripping war actioner in places, a semi-sequel to The Longest Day with some of the same talents, although horribly commercialised in a variable production (including Cinerama interludes shot in sunny Spain rather than the wintry Ardennes), and the usual unnecessary female interest.

Written by: Philip Yordan, Miltton Sperling, John Melson.
Producers: Milton Sperling, Philip Yordan.
Director: Ken Annakin.
Starring: Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews, Telly Savalas, Charles Bronson, Hans Christian Blech, Werner Peters, Ty Hardin, George Montgomery, James MacArthur, Pier Angeli, Barbara Herle.
Photography: Jack Hildyard, and others.
Music: Benjamin Frankel.

+ next to none of the participants in the actual Battle of the Bulge are mentioned by name: this was due to a rival Columbia production started ahead of the Warners' Cinerama epic, intended to be more historically accurate, but the film was never made.