Posts from WaynamoJim in thread „They Were Expendable (1945)“

Quote from Little One

I watched this movie for the first time last night. I didn't like it as much as "Back to Bataan" or "Sands of Iwo Jima", but it was really good.

It was very obviously a John Ford film, though, and I think that's what made me really like it. His masterful use of snatches of old songs at the right moments is frequently very moving. I noticed that at least twice he included the "Battle Cry of Freedom" moving into the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (which appeared again as the closing song. Epic!!) But especially poignant was the use of "Red River Valley" when the old mechanic stayed behind.

The other thing about John Ford is that he has such a talented way of subtly bringing out character's emotions (without over-dramatization) and making a film more human. I especially liked the way he showed the women's struggle to remain feminine while having to be tough, as they endured the horrors of war.

Of course, this was also an excellent acting performance by the Duke, ably seconded by Robert Montgomery. You can still see Duke growing in acting prowess, but his classic persona is already there.

Overall, I really liked "They Were Expendable" and will be adding it to my film collection. Another score for the Duke and John Ford!

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I've always liked that one song they played every time Wayne and Donna Reed were together. Nice romantic touch. Plus, I recently bought a Blu-ray copy of this and it looks great. PQ looks sharp and clear.

Quote from DakotaSurfer

I can certainly understand why some stories are not being told. I sat down with a WWII vet when I was in the military and the stories he told me ran shivers up my spine. The Japanese treated our guys horribly in their prison camps. Beaten, whipped, starved, dehydrated, manipulated and much more. I can see why many of our old vets won't tell the stories.

My father-in-law served in WWII, he had a lot of friends that spent time in some of those camps. He hated the Japanese to the day he died. But he did leave me with a funny story that I tell where ever I can.

He used to run an Old Texaco gas station which he later converted to a NAPA store. There is another business in town, a factory that makes bearings and such for big equipment. The factory saw some hard times about 20 years ago and was eventually bought by the Japanese. Shortly after they bought it, they sent a delegation to our city to check out the plant and to check things out so to speak. It kind of on the edge of town and not easy to find. As they wer driving down the main road they stopped in NAPA store to get directions. They asked my father-in-law: "Where is NTN" With their back accent it took him a couple times to figure out what they were asking. When he did figure it out, he looked at them with a straight face and replied: "You found Pearl Harbor easy enough didn't you?" They didn't say a word, just walked out and drove down the road. True story... I swear!

You know the main reason they treated our guys and the Brits so horribly? Because they had absolutely no respect for them. Why? Because they surrendered and to the Japanese, that was weakness and cowardly. They think they should've fought to the last man or killed themselves and die honorably. Honorably? Look how many Japs uselessly died and never saw home again because of honor.