The Contenders:
49th Parallel
Kings Row
The Magnificent Ambersons
Mrs. Miniver (winner)
The Pied Piper
The Pride of the Yankees
Random Harvest
Talk of the Town
Wake Island
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Showing posts with label Wake Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wake Island. Show all posts
Monday, May 6, 2019
Friday, July 13, 2018
Friday, June 23, 2017
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Battle for Breakfast
Film: Wake Island
Format: DVD from Princeton Public Library through interlibrary loan on rockin’ flatscreen.
Format: DVD from Princeton Public Library through interlibrary loan on rockin’ flatscreen.
I’ve written before about the fact that I grew up on war movies. As a kid, it was absolutely my preferred genre. When I find an old black-and-white World War II movie, especially one made during the war specifically as a propaganda film, I always get a feeling of nostalgia. So when Wake Island showed up, I was naturally excited. Despite having seen a ton of these in my youth, I was pretty sure I hadn’t seen this one before (and I hadn’t). More interesting to me is that this is a film released in mid-1942 about a lost battle in the Pacific in the weeks after Pearl Harbor. It may not be the first World War II propaganda film made, but it’s likely the first really major one.
Except for the opening at Pearl Harbor, the bulk of the action takes place on Wake Island, located in the middle of the Pacific and used essentially as a way station for ships and airplanes between Hawaii and the Asian mainland. Because of its location, Wake had strategic value and the island was manned by a few hundred marines and a larger collection of contractors working to get the island into fighting shape. We start in the days before Pearl Harbor with the appointment of Major Caton (Brian Donlevy) to head the battalion. Going with Caton is Shad McClosky (Albert Dekker), who will be heading up the civilian crew building all of the necessary structures and defenses on the island.
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