Most of them die; of those who survive and escape back to their own lines, three are chosen arbitrarily and put on trial for cowardice, punishable by death. Stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, who leads the attack and defends the three men at their trial, and George Macready as the general who orders the impossible assault. The movie is believed to be based on a true story.
The movie was banned in France until 1975.
The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.