The Red Badge of Courage

Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War the film ponders the feelings of anxiety and finally outright fear in a boy preparing for battle. Henry loses his illusions of heroism during his first skirmish, and just prior to engaging the enemy for the second time, he deserts the field of combat and enters an idyllic world of the forest. Witnesses his friend's death and receiving an accidental wound from a retreating soldier, Henry comes to terms with realities of warfare. (official distributor synopsis)