Wake Island (1942)
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Two words: Um. Yeah. Two more words: Don't bother.
Look, I'm all for classic war movies, and Wake Island just ain't one of 'em. Now, I understand the need for a little artistic license, especially in the name of much-needed (and wanted) wartime propaganda flicks. I'm not against that. But there's a line.
First of all, let me point you here, to an historical account of the Battle of Wake Island. Back already? OK.
So maybe Wake Island the movie just embellished the facts a little. OK, a lot. I can give you that.
What I can't give this movie is a good rating based on that alone. With a barely-capable cast barely reciting badly written dialog that sounds like it belongs in some bad kids TV show, this goes on my list of war movie lemons.
Oh, and don't get me started on the special effects. Special in that short-bus kind of way. No care was taken to even pretend to get any kind of continuity. Shots of one plane, turn to shots of a different plane, or even some bi-plane! Eeek!
In short, this thing was rushed out the door by the War Dept. in '42, and it shows. Having just seen such classics deserving the title such as "The Sands of Iwo Jima" and "Sergeant York," this was not a pleasant experience.
I'm stretching to give this one a three. Of ten. Only because at the time, I'm sure they all thought they were doing the right thing, the filmmakers I mean.
Technorati Tags: war movie review, wake island, 1942, propaganda, turkey, lemon, rotten tomato!
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Description
One of the first Hollywood films to honestly deal with American front line forces in WWII, this blistering saga recounts the true story of a handful of Marines who fought off an overwhelming Japanese land, air and sea attack for 16 days. Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston, William Bendix star. 88 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French.
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
DVD Information
Binding: DVDAspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand: Universal
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Original Release Date:
Actors:
- Brian Donlevy
- Robert Preston
- Macdonald Carey
- William Bendix
- Albert Dekker
Reviews
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