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DVD Wake Island
Wake Island, a sandbar rising 21 feet out of the South Pacific, was among the first U.S. outposts to be hit by the Japanese, virtually simultaneously with Pearl Harbor. Wake Island the movie was among Hollywood's earliest responses to America's being attacked and drawn into WWII. The Marine Corps defenders of Wake became instant war heroes, akin to the martyrs of the Alamo. Nothing could be done to rescue or even to reinforce and resupply them, and they fought on through air attacks and naval bombardment for two weeks until, finally overrun, they were wiped out.
That searing historical context had a lot to do with the movie's impact in 1942, and the sight of the dark forms of enemy planes coming over the horizon for the first time still carries a shock. Wake Island's a decent film, and it doesn't dishonor its subject with sham heroics and grandstanding. But the New York Film Critics voted John Farrow best director of 1942, and that's a reach. The first half hour sets up the allegory of America as melting pot (there's even a corporal named Goebbels), establishes horseplay as the coin of democratic discourse (especially for gyrenes Robert Preston and the Oscar-nominated William Bendix), and fosters familiar friction between new commander Brian Donlevy and civilian construction supervisor Albert Dekker. Then shortly after a beaming Japanese peace envoy has stopped by for dinner, things get rough. The scenes of warfare are more than adequate, but they'd soon be outdone, sometimes in films much less worthy than Wake Island. --Richard T. Jameson
It doesn't matter the war. It doesn't matter the country. It doesn't matter the rightness of the cause. A good propaganda movie hits one theme hard: Take a group of people and let the audience get to know and sympathize with them, then show them dying bravely and willingly in defense of hometown values, preferably against an enemy who is cruel. Wake Island follows this formula so effectively and professionally that, despite how dated some of it is, it still (at least for me) can get the emotional juices flowing.
Wake Island itself is an atoll in the middle of the Pacific, scarcely more than an airstrip with sand. It has about three square miles of surface, about the size of The Mall times 11 in Washington D.C. and, at its highest point, is only 21 feet above sea level. At the time of Pearl Harbor it was defended by 385 Marines with 12 fighters, six 5" naval guns and 12 3" anti-aircraft guns. The Japanese were about to throw major naval, air and invasion forces against it. The question wasn't whether Wake would fall, but how many Japanese forces could be tied up trying to take it and how much time the Marines could buy defending it.
In the movie, the island's defenses are led by Marine Major Geoffrey Caton (Brian Donlevy). There are a number of civilian contractors on the island led by Shad McClosky (Albert Dekker). Caton is smart, realistic and tough. McClosky is tough, too, and is dedicated to his job. He wants no interference from the Marines and dislikes Caton. The Marines are represented primarily by William Bendix and Robert Preston as practical jokers, tough when it counts and always ready with their fists. The Japanese when they are seen nearly always wear thick glasses, wear smarmy smiles and have bad teeth.
The Japanese hit the island first with bombers and are held off. The naval forces move in close to bombard the island and are repelled with the loss of at least two destroyers. More bombers hit the island in raid after raid. The Marines hold out for two and a half weeks. Eventually the Japanese launch an amphibious assault. The surviving marines fight on to the last man. The last scene in the movie is Major Caton and McClosky, reconciled as friends, manning a machine gun together against charging Japanese soldiers until explosions fill the screen. Although the movie gives the strong impression that all the Marines were killed, in fact when it was apparent further defense was hopeless a surrender was arranged. That does nothing to diminish what the Marines accomplished, but propaganda films require sacrifice.
In my view, this is one of the better war films of the time, very effective in working up the emotions of the people back home. It still holds up well today. And I'll say a good word about Brian Donlevy. The guy wasn't much of an actor. He was stiff and stolid. One critic said Donlevy became as successful as he did because he came across as a tough guy, but a tough guy who could be on our side. In the right part, he could be very good. Just take look at The Great McGinty, The Glass Key, Destry Rides Again or Beau Geste. While Bill Bendix almost always played good guys, if you want to see a real psychopath in action watch him in the The Glass Key.
The DVD transfer looks very good.
Fight to destroy destruction
Tenacious in the face of overwhelming odds, a small force of U.S. Marines defend the strategically important Wake Island against a series of Japanese attacks in 1942's WAKE ISLAND, one of the very first combat movies of World War II. So early, in fact, that production on the movie began before the island fell in late December of 1941.
The real Wake Island fell after the U.S. military force, and a large number of civilian construction workers, surrendered. The movie WAKE ISLAND portrays a `last stand' battle with no survivors. Significantly, the movie opens with the image of a silhouetted bugler playing `Taps.' Scenes of leave taking at Pearl Harbor quickly follow, introducing us to major players Maj. Geoffrey Caton (Brian Donlevy) and Lt. Bruce Cameron (Macdonald Carey). Soon after we move down in class and meet the two representative of the common soldier, Pvt. Joe Doyle (Robert Preston) and Pvt. Aloysius K. 'Smacksie' Randall (William Bendix).
Joe and Smacksie spend their time bickering, bantering, slugging each other and dreaming of home - Smacksie is to muster out within a week when we first meet him. Preston and Bendix are the comic relief, and they supply a rather heavy dose of it. Director John Farrow always included comedy in his movies, but some of the light-hearted moments in WAKE ISLAND surprised me. After all, in early 1942 the war wasn't going at all well for America, and Pearl Harbor and Wake Island both were painfully recent military defeats. Then again, perhaps laughter in the face of adversity and defiance in defeat boosts morale on the homefront.
In any event, the comedy doesn't undercut any of the heroism portrayed, and the understated and restrained Donlevy is just right as the commander facing impossible odds, or, as his character says of Wake Island , "It's a little strip of sand with a lot of water around it.... There's not much to defend, and not much to defend it with." The battle scenes are very well choreographed and considering that it was a rush job the end result is very polished. The transferred print is in good condition. Highly recommended.
Great Movie begging for remake
I enjoyed this movie as a kid. Still love it and have it in my collection. I would love to see this battle redone now that the whole story is known. The actual facts actually are more heroic and sad than the movie portrays. Still it is a must have in your WWII collection.
This is a far cry from The Thin Red Line, but it's engaging and efficient World War II propaganda about the opening of the South Pacific campaign that would ultimately turn the tide of the war. Anxious and unsuspecting Marines land on the Solomon Islands and quickly learn how to engage the Japanese in foxhole warfare. It's full of archetypal characters (tough sergeant Lloyd Nolan, Brooklyn cabby William Bendix, lusty Mexican Anthony Quinn, and gravel-mouthed Lionel Stander) and well-staged battle scenes. There's even a battle-weary narration to provide authenticity and historical perspective. All around, a good grunt film. --Bill DesowitzMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Preston Foster - Lloyd Nolan Director(s): Lewis Seiler DVD Release Date: Released the 06 November 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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John Wayne and Anthony Quinn star in this touching 1945 drama inspired by real-life heroism in the Philippines following General MacArthur's withdrawal in 1942 and the islands' subsequent conquest by the Japanese army. Wayne plays Colonel Joe Madden, an American who stays behind to organize a ragtag guerrilla army in the forests and hills. At his side is Captain Andres Bonifacio (Quinn), grandson of a legendary revolutionary martyred in the nation's old war against Spanish colonialists. Joe, Andres, and their fearless irregulars (with support from a schoolteacher, played by Beulah Bondi) sap the enemy's resolve through hit-and-run missions, but as time passes the locals wonder, with pronounced disillusionment, why America doesn't return with masses of troops and weapons. Wayne's star... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): John Wayne - Anthony Quinn Director(s): Edward Dmytryk DVD Release Date: Released the 04 May 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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For fans of the genre, without question the worst part of any combat war movie is the first third. Granted, a lot of movies take a while before shifting into gear and getting serious about things. Combat war movies are uniquely hobbled, though. They usually have a large, ensemble cast and their raison d'être is to display men at war. Their large cast has to be introduced and the audience has to identify and bond with them. I suppose. Why we have to waste time warming up to the cast is a little mystifying, though. They could hang cardboard signs over the characters - the Grizzled Vet (James Whitmore), the Short-Timer (George `Pops' Murphy), the Nominal Hero (the one who possesses the skills and guile to survive, Van Johnson), the Greenhorn (the rookie through whose eyes we... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Van Johnson - John Hodiak Director(s): William A. Wellman DVD Release Date: Released the 04 May 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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As a fan of World War 2 Movies especially those made during the
period 39/45 I must say that I thought the people who had this
example up for sale should be prosecuted for the pathetic quality
in image , its an insult to ones enteligence . I am all for old
movies to be remembered , but in this case if they could not have
found a better copy to sell ,it degrades the film to a level which it does not deserve . DVD is supposed to be reasonable
quality , this example is disgusting . To have the nerve to offer
it for sale is unbeleivable . More Info about this DVD Director(s): William Nigh DVD Release Date: Released the 18 November 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier in World War II, enjoyed a Hollywood acting career after the fight. In this 1955 autobiographical film, however, he plays himself re-creating his own actions and movements in key battles. As strange as this project might have seemed to him at the time, the results are pretty impressive. The film, despite a flat script, is really a pretty good war drama about Murphy and his buddies making their way from North Africa to Berlin. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Audie Murphy - Marshall Thompson Director(s): Jesse Hibbs DVD Release Date: Released the 25 May 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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