STRIPPED OF EVERYTHING – THEY LIVED AND LOVED AND FOUGHT AS IF THERE WERE NO TOMORROW…

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Navy Captain Rockwell Torrey (John Wayne) is removed from command, but soon finds a chance to prove his mettle again. This may be a WWII epic set in Hawaii, but another From Here to Eternity (1953) it ain’t. After a promising beginning, the filmmakers try to establish their characters and portray various soap opera-like complications that are largely uninvolving or feel downright irrelevant. Director Otto Preminger’s cold attitude is a problem, combined with dispassionate lead performances and too much focus on military matters.

1965-U.S. 165 min. B/W. Widescreen. Produced and directed by Otto Preminger. Novel: James Bassett. Cinematography: Loyal Griggs. Cast: John Wayne (Rockwell “Rock” Torrey), Kirk Douglas (Paul Eddington), Patricia Neal (Maggie Haynes), Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Henry Fonda… Dana Andrews, Stanley Holloway, Burgess Meredith, Franchot Tone, Carroll O’Connor, Slim Pickens, George Kennedy, Larry Hagman.

BAFTA: Best Foreign Actress (Neal). 

IMDb