Wake Island [Blu-ray]

Director: John Farrow John Farrow

Overview

The winner of four Oscar nominations, Wake Island was one of the first major Hollywood films to deal with America's forced participation in World War II. The first two reels takes place in the weeks prior to Pearl Harbor, as Wake Island military commander Brian Donlevy carries on a friendly rivalry with Seabee supervisor Albert Dekker. Once the US is in the shooting war, all previous differences are forgotten and the Wake Island personnel begin pulling together. Despite being heavily outnumbered during the subsequent Japanese attack on Wake, the Americans put up a valiant fight, at great cost to the Imperial Forces. In a scene calculated to evoke long, loud cheers from the audience, Donlevy, weary and battle-stained, relays to the American mainland the legendary (if offensive) challenge "Send us more Japs!" As in the like-vintage Bataan, the military defeat of the Americans is treated-and justifiably so--as a moral victory. Utilizing some of the top male talents in Paramount's contract pool-Donlevy, Dekker Robert Preston, MacDonald Carey, William Bendix--Wake Island remains an excellent example of propaganda-as-entertainment

Product Details

Release Date:	08/18/2020
UPC:	0738329249243
Original Release:	1942
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:28:00
Sales rank:	26,634

Special Features

Audio commentary by filmmaker/historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism author Steven Jay Rubin; Theatrical trailer; 1920x1080p

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Brian Donlevy	Maj. Caton
Macdonald Carey	Lt. Cameron
Robert Preston	Joe Doyle
Barbara Britton	Sally Cameron
William Bendix	Smacksie Randall
Albert Dekker	Shad McClosky
Walter Abel	Cmdr. Roberts
Mikhail Rasumny	Probenzky
Don Castle	Pvt. Cunkel
Rod Cameron	Capt. Lewis
Bill Goodwin	Sergeant
Damian O'Flynn	Capt. Patrick
Frank Albertson	Johnny Rudd
Phillip Terry	Pvt. Warren
Philip Van Zandt	Cpl. Goebbels
Keith Richards	Sparks Wilcox
Willard Robertson	Col. Cameron
Marvin Jones	Tommy
Jack Chapin	Squeaky Simpkins
Rudy Robles	Triunfo
John Sheehan	Pete Hogan
Charles Trowbridge	George Nielson
Mary Thomas	Cynthia Caton
Mary Field	Miss Pringle
Richard Loo	Mr. Saburo Kurusu
Earle Tex Harris	Tex Hannigan
Hillary Brooke	Girls at Inn
Patti McCarty	Girls at Inn
William Forrest	Maj. Johnson
Jack Mulhall	Dr. Parkman
Ivan Miller	Colonel
George Nielson	Charles Trowbridge
Hugh Beaumont	Captain
Edward Earle	Commander
James Brown	Wounded Marine
Angel Cruz	Rodrigo
Anthony Nace	Gordon
Holly Bane	1st Lieutenant
Frank Faylen	Wounded Marine
Dane Clark	Marine
Alan Hale Jr.	Sight Setter
Alan Hale	Sight Setter

Technical Credits

W.R. Burnett

Frank Butler

John Farrow	Director
Joseph Sistrom	Producer
W.R. Burnett	Screenwriter
Frank Butler	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

A tremendous financial and critical success in its time, Wake Island is a fine and effective war movie. The passage of time has rendered it more valuable as an example of well-wrought propaganda than of a great drama. There are almost no grays in Wake Island; practically everything is set out in clear, black-and-white terms. This helps to make it a rousing adventure, but it also makes it more than a little manipulative, a fact that is brought home on repeated viewings. Still, John Farrow directs with a great deal of energy, imbuing the film with tautness and tension, staging the battles scenes with remarkable effectiveness. He's also good at helping keep the various members of the cast identifiable with distinct character traits that border on caricature but don't too often cross the line. Brian Donlevy does a fine job as the glue which holds the film (and the men) together; he gets especially fine support from Robert Preston and William Bendix, who display real chemistry in their scenes together. Modern audiences won't get the same punch from Wake Island as did those in 1942, but fans of war films will definitely want to catch it.