In Harm's Way (1965)

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Probably the worst war film set during Pearl Harbor.John 'The Duke' Wayne does his schtick as a military officer, this time as a Navy Captain affectionately known to his men as 'The Rock'. "He's all navy and nuthin but navy" spouts one guy while Wayne-- sorry, The Rock, throws around dusty dialogue like "this man's navy" and "get on the ball, I got a ship to run".By far, the most dim-witted thing that happens follows the attack on Pearl Harbor. As American soldiers are floating dead in the water and their ships are burning all around them on December 7, 1941, Wayne and Kirk Douglas give each other a goofy smirk and say, "Looks like we got ourselves a whole new gut-bustin' mutherluvin' war" as they saunter off to have a beer.Other golden moments include a navy ship captain and his chuckling buddies ditching fellow sailors who are in distress so they can save their own asses. Isn't that lovely? Sub-standard war movie, alternately silly and boring, but most of all long, with a wheel-barrow full of celebrities dumped on screen every few minutes.

Problem # 1 has to do with budget. If they didn't tell you the air attack early on in the film was the bombing of Pearl Harbor, you'd hardly know it. Seemed very minor according to this film. But, of course, no special effects of note back then, so the attack on Pearl Harbor seems like a slight unpleasantness.Problem # 2: Now, I don't know how it was, but about 8 weeks after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor it seems as if everything in Honolulu was back to normal and the military was partying it up. Is that really the way it was? I doubt it, but again, I don't know. But then, there's not another bomb or even firecracker that goes off for well over an hour. Kinda sparse action for a war movie Problem # 3: Filmed in 1965 and still black and white. Again, must be budget. Filmed in Hawaii and region, it would have been a beautiful film in color.Problem # 4: It took me a long time to figure out this one. The film takes place in the 1940s, but it feels too much like the 1960s. Oh, they have all the right automobiles and such, but the music seems There are other elements of this movie that balance things out and make it a very good film. Chief among these is the cast: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Burgess Meredith, Tom Tryon, Dana Andrews, Franchot Tone, Carroll O'Connor, Henry Fonda, and many more, all with varying levels of roles, some rather short, but all key in some way.Of course, the main character here is John Wayne, who was beginning to look kinda old here. Wayne made one of my favorite films the same year -- "The Sons Of Katie Elder". Wayne here plays John Wayne. Which is fine.Kirk Douglas plays a personal ne'er do well, but a competent junior officer to John Wayne (who, BTW, is promoted to admiral during the film). I'm not sure you can be both, but Douglas is always Douglas.Patricia Neal does very nicely as John Wayne's love interest.Dana Andrews has a strong role as a not-so-effective vice-admiral. He's excellent! Burgess Meredith has a part that is different from his typical. Very good performance.So now it's time to get down to the nitty gritty, and this is it: I rarely like war movies. My father was in the military, and almost every time he would come home on leave, he would drag me to the theater to watch a war movie. I loved having time with him, but HATED war movies. Even though I love old movies, it is extremely rare for me to watch a war movie. BUT -- I enjoyed this movie despite its shortcomings. It's a long movie, and it fully held my attention.Recommended.

Even though it is 167 minutes long, how can anyone get jaded from watching this movie about the battle at sea only shortly after Pearl Harbor being attacked on 12/07/41? Shortly after the beginning of the movie is when that infamous yet unforgettable moment in history took place, and there is a sea battle toward the end of the movie. The movie is definitely star-studded with one of the most outstanding galaxy of stars ever amassed. John Wayne as Admiral Rockwell "Rocky" Torrey is the best Otto Preminger could have chosen for that role as a man dedicated to fighting passionately at sea. Kirk Douglas was a "perfect" pick for Commander Paul Eddington, a man you wanted to kill because of his mean, hostile spirit and, much more than this, because of some of the harmful things he did to others. The beautiful Paula Prentiss made a great acting accomplishment as Bev McConnell, and Tom Tryon seemed to click well with her as her husband Lieutenant William "Mac" McConnell. Patricia Neal was very appealing as the nurse Lieutenant Maggie Haynes. Brandon DeWilde was consummate as Ensign Jeremiah "Jere" Torrey. Slim Pickins, as CPO Culpepper was his same country-boy self, and the late very pretty English actress Jill Haworth was as adorable as adorable could be as Ensign Annalee Dorne. The movie was not simply a war drama, but there was just focus on the feelings and/or struggles of the characters. Maggie Haynes was so much in love with "Rocky" Torrey, and wondered if theirs would be a lasting relationship. Ensign Jere Torrey was the son of Admiral Torrey, but he was embittered with his father since Rocky had abandoned his family when Jere was only a year old. And too, there was a point when the relationship between Jere and Ensign Dorne was somewhat stormy. Bev McConnell was a maudlin worrier about her husband. Yes, there was introspection on feelings in this dramatic feat. The main thing I didn't like about this movie is that it was in black-and-white. The Pacific Ocean would have been more drawing in color, naturally. But overall, it was one of Preminger's best, a superb enactment of the book by the same name: the book was written by James Bassett. The music score by Jerry Goldsmith was somewhat haunting, but there was something about it I personally liked. Again, this story which focuses on people's individual struggles, as well as on war at sea, is not a bit boring. Paramount should be proud.

A largely forgotten entry from 1965 this has now turned up on DVD and at Thrift-Shop prices had to be good for at least one viewing given the names involved. The 'best-selling' novel on which the screenplay was based has somehow eluded me unlike say, From Here To Eternity, The Young Lions, The Caine Mutiny, The Naked And The Dead, Battle Cry, etc but we mustn't begrudge Hollyood its flacks. It turns out to be fairly enjoyable and entertaining with Duke Wayne well up to heading a starry cast, some of whom - Franchot Tone, Hank Fonda, Burgess Meredith - had established themselves before Duke and others - Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Brandon de Wilde, Paula Prentiss, sometime later, making for a nice melange. Preminger keeps a firm if fairly dull hand on the wheel and a fair time is had by all.