The Gallant Hours (1960)

The greatest movie ever!

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Docudrama about Admiral William F. Halsey; specifically his experiences during World War II. It's directed and narrated by Robert Montgomery. James Cagney stars and does an excellent job with a quieter, more subtle type of performance than the ones he was known for. Negatives include a slow pace, lack of action, no subtitles when needed, an overuse of devices like narration and background chorus, and Dennis Weaver going full hick accent with his country boy role. Positives include the aforementioned Cagney turn and a sincerity that I can't help but respect. You can tell they (Montgomery, Cagney, et al.) really wanted to make a great film about a man they admired. It's not a movie that I will ever watch again, but I can certainly see the appeal for many others.

The price for freedom are the lives of men and this movie makes that point and more. Told in a way where facts are submitted mingled with human nature, drama and pain we are invited to a very significant moment in our history and we do well to not forget it. I always admire true stories about men against what is thrown at them and how without rehearsal the circumstances engage and the outcomes are left to the results which no one knows until it is over. To go into something unknown and commit oneself 100 % and furthermore to give all you have while doing it should humble us all as there is no greater sacrifice or form of giving than that. War is hell literally and figuratively and exists because men fail for one reason or another or try to rise above their given stature or interfere with circumstances in a willful way. Cagney is a joy to watch. He has aged, is mature and his acting is without effort lending realism to it all. Fine outstanding supporting cast is worthy of a mention too. In the beginning parts of the movie where they begin the flashback to tell the story, I was thrown off a little by this music score they use consisting of a heavenly type chorus while there are scenes being acted out during the movie. I kept expecting some biblical character to appear. After a few of these, I understood what the director was trying to do i.e. pay homage to the lives given while telling the story. We won the war based on the sheer courage of men and their oaths taken at the costs of their lives. This movie reminds you of that. Let me remind you that next time you go to get a burger and fries, walk in the park, attend a sports event etc. know that people who fought well set us up to do this at a high cost. I like to snack while watching movies. There is a scene in this one involving a chocolate cake so go from there. It was a big piece too. Add a tasty drink and you're off! Enjoy Attenthut! Good movie on deck

A look at the senior officers in Halsey's fleet and under his command. However, it was strangely uninvolving, since we knew that the U.S. won the war, won the battle for Guadalcanal, and that Halsey survived the war and retired a four star admiral. What almost ruined the movie for me was the too reverent chorus that played throughout the movie, which would have more suitable in a movie about Jesus Christ or one of the saints. The wa wa chorus was actually intrusive at times and I found myself grimacing when it started up.

. . . shows that 75% of Japanese racists believe that Americans are "lazy" (even though international statistics prove that U.S. workers labor more hours annually than their Asian counterparts). THE GALLANT HOURS serves to drive home this point about Japan's self-delusions in a key historical context. While Japanese military "genius" Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto worked short hours, frittering away his "spare" time on frivolous hobbies such as chess and floral photography, he met his doom at the hands of Workaholic U.S. Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., who graduated in the bottom third of his 1904 Naval Academy class as Yamamoto was the toast of the town in his own 1904 military cohort. But, as Thomas Edison always said, hard work beats brains every time. While Yamamoto was smelling the flowers, Halsey was busy managing the tiniest details of War (such as breaking the Japanese military code) with his hands-on supervision during grueling 16-hour days. As shown here, Yamamoto knew that his year-old code needed urgent updating, but he was too busy with board games and flowers to even delegate the task. His lackadaisical approach to World War enabled Halsey to easily pick him off as he island-hopped on a transparent schedule, turning the tide of the whole WWII Kerfluffle against the inflated-ego bearing Japanese.