So Proudly We Hail!

source: So Proudly We Hail!

I didn't see this movie last week or any time recently, but rather I saw it when it was re-issued to theaters in 1950. It was double featured with WAKE ISLAND, another tough World War II movie. I saw it with a bunch of other 11 year old boys. My impression then, and my lingering impression now, it that "So Proudly We Hail" stands as the toughest, strongest, most inspirational movie of World War II. This, even when compared to the all male other movie about one of the toughest fights of the war. I also remember that all these young guys were awe-struck by the actions of these brave American women, These days movies of World War II can be a bit wimpy. Exhibit One is the overly praised "Saving Private Ryan" mentioned by other reviewers. In "Ryan" Mr. Spielberg shamelessly takes the legacy of the real life Sullivan Brothers and twists it into his wimp-butt and twisted way of thinking. In the real story, the last brother wasn't "saved" -- no, he enlisted to finish what his brothers started. REVISION: After 60 years we watched it again tonight. I'd failed to remember those parts of the movie about the romances between the soldiers and the nurses. What was burned into my memory at age 11 were the scenes of the nurses trying to keep hold of a massive field hospital (during the evacuation of Bataan) under heavy attack from Japanese aircraft -- evacuating a hospital while being bombed and assaulted by machine guns -- that was brave work. Trouble is: in 2012 there are no longer any movies where 11 year old boys (or girls) can attend with their friends and (1) learn something about the real world, and (2) be exposed to adult role models such as the nurses and soldiers of World War II. Phony CGI heroes, explosions, car chases, toilet humor; this is all a kid can get in 2012, any day, any screen.

Since both of my Philippine parents were born while World War II was on and my mom eventually became a nurse, I've long wanted to watch this war drama about American nurses as they struggled to keep their sanity during that conflict. Before I go to the leading ladies, I have to mention that one of the first people we see on screen is one Mary Treen, a player from my favorite film-It's a Wonderful Life, who is another of the medical staff who provides some of the narration of the first half. She's just as compelling as many of the rest of the supporting cast which includes Sonny Tufts as a goofy soldier who falls for Paulette Goddard, and George Reeves as an Army man who takes a shine to Claudette Colbert. It's largely Colbert and Goddard who provide the spirit and occasional heartbreak of the film as we watch them both praise and whine about how the war is going. But the one genuine surprise here is Veronica Lake, usually a glamor girl in her roles, who becomes sullen here because of a tragedy involving Pearl Harbor. So on that note, So Proudly We Hail! comes highly recommended.

Way ahead of its time. Intelligently written, movingly acted, extremely compelling battle scenes for a film of its era. Excellent, realistic performances by Veronica Lake, Paulette Goddard, Sonny Tufts, Walter Abel, Hugh Ho Chang, even George Reeves. I don't understand why this film isn't mentioned among the best of American-made war movies. Some reviewers here have called it "propaganda," but it is hardly that in the context of the time. I was actually quite surprised by its even-handedness. (Yes, there are non-PC references to "Japs," as with every other American war movie of the era.) Disregard any disparaging critiques posted here and SEE THIS FILM.

Perception is everything...and perceptions change over time... A question I have presented to my college film students: In the film, an U.S. Army Nurse (played by Veronica Lake) walks into a group of Japanese soldiers and blows herself and the Japanese soldiers to bits using hand grenades that were hidden in her Red Cross medical bag. In 1943 when the film was made, American audiences cheered her "heroic, patriotic" deed. If she had been an Iraqi nurse in 2005 who walked into a group of American soldiers and blew herself and the American soldiers to bits using hand grenades that were hidden in her Red Crescent medical bag, she would be denounced as a "terrorist" and some would feel justified to shoot anyone in the future carrying a Red Crescent medical bag on sight.

I saw this film when it first came out. I liked it then and I like it now. Some argue that its a little too heavy on the patriotism. But if you remember it was made at a time when we weren't sure how the war would come out, the context keeps patriotism in perspective. Back then most everyone supported the war effort and the doubters kept their doubts to themselves. There were virtually no families without at least one member in the service and most of the non-service people worked in defense jobs. "So Proudly We Hail" was a timely film when it was made and 60+ years later its message is still relevant as an historical event.

The strengths of SO PROUDLY WE HAIL (1943) are found more in its form rather than the content of its characters. The main area where it differs from John Wayne-style WWII lip service is its predominantly female cast. All the American flag waving of the Forties is still here in full force, but the patriotic propaganda of the Office of War Information (OWI) is interestingly mingled with a Hollywood "love your man" plot. Our girls can stick it to the enemy while still standing by their men! Goddard flirts with several officers while Colbert carries on a romance with George Reeves (Superman!) and Lake fosters a blind hatred for the Japanese due to her husband's death at Pearl Harbor, which prompts her to tuck a grenade in her bustier and march into a group of Japanese soldiers with a *BANG* early on in the film. Even with all the romance our girls still occasionally find time to do some nursing, which usually consists of them sitting (and sometimes standing) around sighing and telling us and each other about how hard it is to be a nurse. And just in case we don't understand what it means to be a patriot we are given several speeches on the topic, all delivered by our girls in perfect makeup and hair, with nary a lock out of place (ironic for Lake). Now, I do believe that it is hard to be a nurse, but the film would be greatly improved by showing us more of their hard work. Film, after all, is a visual medium. That said, the Oscar® nominations for Best Black and White Cinematography and Best Special Effects were definitely deserved. Unlike most WWII propaganda pieces this one hardly ever looks as if it was shot on some cheap Hollywood back lot. Pay particular attention to the scenery; there is an ever-present atmosphere of smoke and shadow that makes this film worth watching. And the explosions are often genuinely powerful and impressive, if you're into that sort of thing. I personally enjoyed the many montage sequences and the scene where all the girls are sitting around a table in Corregidor and an American food advertisement (for fresh pineapples or something like that) comes on the radio, effectively putting the battle conditions of daily bombings in sharp contrast with the more domestic concerns "back home". SO PROUDLY WE HAIL offers precious little criticism of war and presents the Japanese as a faceless enemy worthy only of death and American hatred. The Hollywood love plot is sufficiently cheesy enough to be almost unintentionally satirical, but if you want to view a film with more substance then check out THE STORY OF G.I. JOE (1943). War shouldn't ever evoke pride or be hailed. 2/5. "Superman says YOU can slap a Jap . . . with war bonds and stamps!"

During WW II everyone in America joined forces to fight against Japan and Germany. This film clearly portrays the great efforts of the Military Nurses who helped the wounded and even gave their lives in order to bring Victory for the USA. Claudette Colbert,(Lt. Janet Davidson),"It Happened One Night",'34, spread herself very thin trying to support the nurses and the soldiers in the hospitals. Paulette Goddard,(Lt. Joan O'Doul),"Reap the Wild Wind",'42 gave an outstanding supporting role while under constant bombing from the Japanese Zero planes. Veronica Lake,(Lt. Oliva D'Arcy)," I Married a Witch",42 surprised everyone in the Nurses Unit with her great act of love and service to her country. Veronica Lake in real life had a short lived career and was not truly appreciated for her great acting abilities. This 1943 War picture clearly shows the horror of War and the results which live forever in our hearts and souls, especially the Veterans who are wounded and living in the Veteran's hospitals even TODAY.

you wont believe this...i was 16 when i saw so proudly we hail....thirty years later i resaw it and remembered everything about it...even the theme music of claudette and george. what a flawless film...the acting...paulette goddard sublime...lake..her first real good effort and colbert gracious and sonny tufts...really credible. the story so true so heartbreaking...the special effects...truly pure Spielberg and lukas. i spent 200hundred dollars.of my vacation money to buy an uniform worn by goddard in spwh and i have a whole living room wall filled with lobby cards and posters of so proudly....im that nutty. proud of paulette goddard...tag just a pretty pretty but...praised in the film. just sad to know that the whole cast has deceased...maybe lorna gray is still with us. anyways it feels good to give you my view...and thanks for understanding a spwh freak.

You pretty much know you're getting an heroic picture about Americans in battle when watching a war movie from 1943, so that helps set the stage up-front. The characters are idealized and thin, though certainly not as much as they could have been, and the pacing and narration don't quite hang together. This picture is best seen as a collection of stories, some of which are so disturbingly human that they must be true. Veronica Lake does an outstanding job in her role, which consists of little dialogue but tremendous meaning. Claudette Colbert is perfect in her role, as are many of the other actors. The two main male lead characters were almost painful to watch, with rotten dialogue and not much acting ability to pull it off. The overall messages of the film are a real eye-opener compared to the propaganda we hear today (2008) regarding America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Themes of compassion, tolerance, and "sentimental virtues" make one realize just how far we've fallen in the last 60 years. As others have commented, it was surprising and at times shocking to see how far the filmmakers went to expose the horrors of war and the many ways people respond to it. It was wonderful to see women of the same rank as men, and being portrayed as competent leaders and essential contributors. Courage and ingenuity shine through in memorable vignettes, reminding us that everyone near a war zone is affected by that war -- whether officially military or not. My only wish is that the overall picture held together better as a whole. It's definitely essential viewing for its historical value, but isn't a classic film on its own.