On Blu-ray: John Wayne and Robert Ryan Butt Heads in Flying Leathernecks (1951)

Flying Leathernecks (1951) is an unusual entry in World War II cinema. While it leans into the familiar camaraderie and hijinks of many war films from the era, it offers a few visceral glimpses at the violent realities of war. This is most likely due to the influence of director Nicholas Ray, who was stuck with an assignment that ran opposite to his beliefs. I recently viewed it on a new Blu-ray from Warner Archive.

John Wayne and Robert Ryan star as Major Dan Kirby and Captain Carl “Grif” Griffin respectively. Kirby has been enlisted to lead the Wildcats Marine squadron as they head into what would become the historic battle of Guadalcanal. While the unit members had assumed that Grif would be promoted to commander, they accept their new leader, as does Griffin, who is disappointed to not get the promotion, but takes the rejection in stride and apparently with little surprise.

While they respect each other on a certain level, the men butt heads. Griffin believes in the human touch, and focuses on building strong relationships with his pilots, while Kirby is determined to face his tough job with a hardline approach. That perspective is at odds with the tenderness of his home life, where he is gentle and adoring with his wife (Janis Carter) and physically affectionate with his young son (Gordon Gebert), if in a macho way and after gifting him with a Japanese sword. It is possible that there is a divide between what Kirby assumes he has to do and what he feels.

Grif seems to understand Kirby’s conflict on some level. He doesn’t like his methods, but he doesn’t entirely write him off. Ray wisely gives them plenty of space to talk it out in long scenes that revel in the charisma of both stars. Perhaps they were both too old for their roles, but in these moments I enjoyed their presence enough that I wasn’t concerned about such details.

The supporting cast is sturdy, if not exciting. A standout is Jay Flippen as crinkly-eyed line chief and undercover supply thief Clancy. He has a face for Westerns, which is mostly what he did throughout his career, and here that quality lends some needed character and warmth to the proceedings.

As was typical of mid-century war films, the battle scenes are framed for the most part as action set pieces, but you get a glimpse of the horror these men are enduring. When they are shot, they don’t just flail around; you see the blood and the way their eyes throb with pain.

Ray was anti-war and you can sense him sliding some of his viewpoint into a studio assignment. However, for the most part the film feels like a high-flying Howard Hughes production, with its extended air battles and patriotic certainty.

Fans of World War II films will enjoy it. Ray fans won’t see the director they love here. For the most part, it is the push and pull between Wayne and Ryan that gives this production spice.

The only special feature on the disc is a trailer for the film.

Many thanks to Warner Archive for providing a copy of the film for review. To order, visit The Warner Archive Collection.
 

On Blu-ray: A Cast of Sympathetic Characters in Battleground (1949)

We must be smart enough and tough enough in the beginning. To put out the fire before it starts spreading.

Battleground (1949) performs a balancing act of great precision. It plunges you into the devastation of war, but it also shows flickers of light. Though it can often be difficult to watch, this is an entertaining, engrossing film that succeeds because of and despite its bleak message. Now it is available on Blu-ray from Warner Archive.

The setting is Belgium in 1944. A platoon of American soldiers struggle with homesickness, discomfort, loss and the horrors of war as they fight the Battle of Bastogne in a final, horrific counteroffensive against Hitler. With an Oscar-winning screenplay written by Robert Pirosh, a veteran of the stand-off, this is a tense film because the details feel true-to-life.

It opens with a shot of a Christmas tree, decorated with the naked leg of a female mannequin. Soldiers in formation sing about the home they left, the baby they left. Though they constantly make jokes and lightly jibe at each other, you can feel how homesickness continually plagues them. A piece of bread or the prospect of getting real food, like a plate of eggs, symbolizes not only comfort, but the homes to which they wish to return.

To make it all the more touching, director William Wellman's cast is packed with some of the most likeable actors in Hollywood. Most famous for lighter musical and comedy fare, it is almost disorienting to see stars like Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy in such a bleak milieu. The actors who are more strongly associated with dramas, like James Whitmore and John Hodiak, serve as a sort of comfort, because you know how the characters they play have triumphed over darkness.

It's an interesting cast, diverse in character, but simpatico. They play off of each other with such lightness that when they can no longer shut out or gloss over the tragedy surrounding them, there is a feeling of profound loss. One moment they attempt to casually chat during a bombing, the next, they face death.

For all the forced gaiety among the soldiers, the atmosphere is one of pure horror. A haunting fog envelopes most of the action, and is a constant reminder of their vulnerability to sneak attacks and starvation due to the lack of supply drops. The battlefield covered in snow hints at the discomfort of the men and the fear of muffled steps in the snow masking a deadly approach. Half the time the soldiers can't see their target, the rest they are unsure if they are speaking to Americans or German soldiers succeeding at a brilliant masquerade.

Audiences must have still felt raw from the wounds of World War II as they watched this upon its first release. This is the fear that they either felt themselves or saw their loved ones experience. That terror is stripped down to the basics, where a makeshift shelter under a jeep can be a tomb or a pair of empty boots can cause a man to choke in helpless grief.

A harrowing experience, Battleground is nevertheless a deeply satisfying film that rewards multiple viewings. It elicits empathy by drawing you into the battle, the boots and helmets of these brave, but ultimately vulnerable men.

The black and white imagery on the disc is especially striking, with a soft, velvety look that enhances the feeling of a disconnect from reality on the fog-shrouded battlefield. Special features include a trailer for the film, a vintage featurette and the cartoon, Little Red Riding Hood.

Many thanks to Warner Archive for providing a copy of the film for review. To order, visit The Warner Archive Collection.

Veterans Day Double Feature

I’ve always been wary of the uncomplicated patriotism in World War II era movies. It makes me cringe when I sense that a patch of propaganda has been plunked into the middle of a scene, because I can just feel myself being pulled out the story. However, viewed through the filter of the times, I can imagine how important this kind of message must have been to audiences of the day.

I’m fond of this pair of movies, because while they do have their share of propaganda, they are not overwhelmed by their message moments:

So Proudly We Hail (1943)

This passionately patriotic drama, starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard and Veronica Lake, follows a group of Red Cross nurses who struggle to survive a two-year tour of duty in the Philippines. Colbert is typically solid, but the real stand-outs are Goddard and Lake in performances which demonstrate that both actresses had more depth than their roles usually required of them. With her peek-a-boo bang tucked carefully away, Lake is childlike and wearily fragile as a nurse haunted by a personal tragedy, while Goddard bolsters her happy-go-lucky persona with deeper compassion and strength than she has typically shown on the screen. The rest of the cast is uniformly solid, and a surprising number of characters get a chance to shine, if briefly. If you took away the setting and the action, this would be an entertaining women’s picture, and it is that unusual element that gives this gritty, chaotic, and often harrowing movie an added sheen.

Battleground (1949)

John Hodiak, Van Johnson and Ricardo Montalban head another strong ensemble cast in this quieter, less-rousing drama about a group of soldiers who find themselves trapped by the Germans in foggy Bastogne. As it was filmed after the war, there is not quite the focus on fighting the good fight as there is on the grim struggle for survival. Though the dialogue is sharp, the movie’s most powerful moments come from its striking images: Hodiak choking back a cry at the sight of an empty pair of boots, the slow drop of a hand nearly hidden from view, and the beautiful, but dangerous fog and snow that envelopes the weary soldiers. A running gag with Johnson and a helmet full of eggs doesn’t quite succeed as comic relief (though he is charming), but Montalban is infectiously joyful in his lively portrayal of a Mexican-American frolicking like a schoolboy in the first snow he has ever seen.

The Pre-Code View of World War I

Early Depression-era Hollywood made a fortune uplifting downtrodden audiences with upbeat musicals and racy comedies--before the enforcement of the production code put a damper on some of the fun--but the period was not all sweetness and light. Some of the most effective movies that touch on World War I came from this period, before Hollywood put a gloss on war, and while the Lost Generation was still fresh in the collective memory. I decided to share some of these titles in observance of Memorial Day. These are solemn, downbeat movies, but they are also inspiring in their gritty honesty and emotional power.

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) One of the most famous World War I movies is an epic, but also intimate story of young soldiers who lose their patriotic enthusiasm when faced with the horror, mayhem and boredom of trench warfare. All Quite on the Western Front has retained its power for generations, partly because it does not soften its bleak world view.

The Eagle and the Hawk (1932) A smaller scale, but potent WWI drama about a pilot who collapses under the strain of the war. This fast, dark story is as much about camaraderie and loyalty as it is about the emotional distress caused by war.

Heroes for Sale (1933) This is one of the most powerful pre-code examinations of post-war life for traumatized veterans. In its cynical world view, soldiers are not even necessarily loyal to each other, making the transition to civilian life even more lonely and confusing. One of the hugely underrated Richard Barthelmess’ best performances.

I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932) Paul Muni stars in another gritty drama of a veteran’s struggle to return to society. Desperate for money, he tries to pawn his medals, only to find that the shop owner already has accepted more than he can sell. He shows him a pile of medals, and with that one image shows the struggles of many men.

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) This is above all a musical of the depression. While accepting the reality of empty stomachs and unpaid rent, it also uplifts with silly songs, romance and elaborate production numbers. It touches on World War I in its final number My Forgotten Man. The darkly beautiful, expressionistic sets and emotional plea for struggling veterans so impressed studio head Jack Warner that he moved it from the middle of the movie to the end, where its passionate drive gave the closing scenes a powerful edge.

Image Source