The Mountain Road (1960)

Set in 1944 China, an army Major (James Stewart) leads an eight man demolition team that is in charge of blowing up bridges, roads and villages in the path of advancing Japanese armies. His team is accompanied by the widow (Lisa Lu) of a Chinese general and a Colonel (Frank Silvera) in the Chinese army. Based on the novel by Theodore White and directed by Daniel Mann (COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA). A most unusual war film in that very little combat is shown, we never even see the Japanese. Instead the film focuses on the conflict in Stewart's character. He's never really sure why he's even there and he seems overwhelmed by the duties he's supposed to enforce  and he eventually gets consumed by the power at his command. The film isn't shy about showing the casual racism of the small army unit and the cultural differences between the Americans and the Chinese. It's these very differences that nips the budding romance between Stewart's Major and Lisa Lu's Chinese widow. The B&W cinematography of Burnett Guffey (BONNIE AND CLYDE) does an excellent job of making Arizona look like Chinese countryside. The score is by Jerome Moross. With Glenn Corbett, Harry Morgan, Mike Kellin and James Best.