The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
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(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) 
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It's John Wayne for cryin out loud! The Duke! How can you not enjoy this!
Seriously, "The Sands of Iwo Jima" takes us to that hell-hole of an island in the Pacific, and the steps along the way. Sergeant John Stryker (John Wayne) is the seasoned and gruff company Sgt. who takes his band of raw recruits (and their replacements) just out of training onto the beaches of Iwo.
Granted, this is about as "gung ho" a movie as you're going to get, even for the era. Viewed today, it makes an interesting counterpart to Eastwoods "Flags of our Fathers."
Masterfully edited in are plenty of stock footage scenes from Iwo. There are times when you have difficulty realizing which is the stock footage and what is not.
There are plenty of moral dilemmas that come up in these kind of pictures, for example the consequences of thinking of one's self when your duty should be towards your fellow Marines.
Of note is the conflict between Stryker and PFC Conway (John Agar) who is struggling against his duty and "legacy" as a Marine vs. his desire to become more than what his father was. The fact Stryker served with the elder Conway doesn't help matters. In the end, though, Conway comes to terms with this.
Stryker himself finds redemption in meeting a lonely war widow and her child, and in the end, well, Stryker brings a bit of purpose to his life where there wasn't any, except for the Corps.
"Sands" is an entertaining few minutes, and I'm glad I took the time to watch. For its time, and despite the "gung ho" factor, it really does portray the fear and despair these guys must have felt.
I'm giving it a seven, mostly on "classic" factor alone. Worth a re-view? Maybe, but definitely on the "must view" list.
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Description
SGT. STRYKER, THE HARD-NOSED MARINE SERGEANT WHO MOLDS HISCOMPANY INTO A COMBAT-READY FIGHTING MACHINE. ALSO INCLUDES 'THEMAKING OF SANDS OF IWO JIMA' NARRATED BY NOTED FILM HISTORIAN LEONARD MALTIN, OFFERING AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THIS WORLD WAR IICLASSIC.
John Wayne's old studio home, Republic, made this 1949 drama about the heroic capture of an important island in the Pacific by marines in World War II. Director Allan Dwan (Brewster's Millions), a pioneering filmmaker from the silent days of cinema who easily crossed over into sound, handles the action sequences like a consummate pro, while Wayne works hard as the tough sergeant molding new recruits into fighters. John Agar plays a contentious surrogate son to Wayne, though the relationship is hardly the stuff of Red River. --Tom Keogh
This classic World War II actioner has Wayne as a tough but compassionate Marine Corps sergeant, John M. Stryker. Tough name, too. Stryker's job is to turn a bunch of raw recruits into a fighting machine. His no-holds-barred approach causes a great amount of friction, not to mention a running subplot concerning his personal life that makes him something of an enigma to his men. The mystery of his past is not fully resolved until the very ending, by which point Stryker is decidedly a war hero. The supporting roles of those who hate Stryker's guts, and who are inevitably won over, are played handsomely by John Agar and Forrest Tucker. Veteran film director Allan Dwan helmed this one, and used real war footage and three of the surviving soldiers who raised the flag on Mt. Suribachi to reenact that momentous event. An engrossing and entertaining war flick all around, boasting one of the Duke's finest, most measured and layered performances. The DVD includes a wonderful making-of featurette hosted by Leonard Maltin, interviewing Wayne's son, John Agar, and some of the military personnel who served as advisors on the film. --Jim Gay
DVD Information
Binding: DVDAspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand: LIONS GATE HOME ENT.
Manufacturer: Republic Pictures
Original Release Date:
Actors:
- John Wayne
- John Agar
- Adele Mara
- Forrest Tucker
- Wally Cassell
Reviews
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