The Naked and the Dead

Even some sixty (60) years later since the movie release in 1958 this war rears its ugly head and shows us what army veterans can turn into after being in the field for too long or too often. Racism, anti-semitism, brutality, spousal abuse, extra-marital affairs, paranoia, and alcoholism all play a role in defining this band of army veterans sent off to fight yet another endless fight overseas. This is not a pretty picture, nor is it a heroic picture, but it is filled with a lot of raw feelings and true to life violence, thus the appropriate title "The Naked and the Dead". I give the film an 8 out of 10 rating and it still stands up pretty good some six decades later.

"The Naked and the Dead" is a film based on a novel by Norman Mailer, which was based on his experiences fighing in the Pacific during WWII. I expected the movie to stink, as Mailer hated the final film and thought it the worst movie he'd seen. After seeing it, I assume he felt that way because they bastardized his story...not because the film was bad in any other way. "The Naked and the Dead" is a HUGE counterpoint to the average war film made during WWII. The WWII era movies were all very patriotic...and featured men who were dedicated and loved serving their country. The film, on the other hand, shows that overwhelming patriotism is NOT what all soldiers feel...most just want to do their job and survive. And, in a HUGE departure from the war era films, some are just sadists who love killing! The story is set on some island in the Pacific and for much of the film there are two parallel stories. One is about a company of soldiers serving under a competent but sociopathic sergeant (Aldo Ray). He knows is job, is good at it but also is obsessed with killing...even birds, captured prisoners and his commanding officer!! The other is about a lieutenant (Cliff Robertson) who is serving as the adjutant for a sadistic jerk of a general (Raymond Massey). Eventually the two stories intersect. I hate films that glorify war or make it look fun...so I appreciated this movie because it never even came close to doing either! The acting and script are very good...though I have no idea what the source novel is like by comparison. Apparently Mailer thought the difference was huge. By the way, one part of the film I hated. A man is bitten by a poisonous snake...something that I am sure happened occasionally. First, the men cut open the wound and try sucking out the poison (something you should NEVER do). Second, the guy literally died in a minute or two...something that just doesn't happen...even with the most dangerous of snakes. It was a sloppy scene, that's for sure.

I saw this movie on a local PBS station about the same time I was writing a Term Paper on the novel. I have already read the novel several times, but I still thought that the movie perspective might be helpful. Needless to say I was wrong. The movie turns a book about the futility of the individual's role in war into a boiler plate feel good war movie w/ a happy ending. One of the most important parts of the novel, where Hearn is betrayed despite his best efforts to be a "good" leader, is scrapped. Hearn not only survives, but the movie goes on the kill the ass hole, Sgt Croft. In the book we see a group of individuals who all want to singlehandedly make a difference and who all end up failing because modern war has grown beyond the control of the individual. In the movie we see a division of good guys and bad guys where where good guys win and the bad guys get what's coming. Finally I would like to point out that this movie is a waste of time or unpleasant to watch. If its going to be on TV by all means watch it, but if you've read the book brace yourself to be VERY disappointed.

source: The Naked and the Dead

The Naked and the Dead

What a gem of a war film. Not the heroic nonsense of many. More on the people trying to cope in a horrible situation. And their evolution during the journey the film brings to us. The subtle evil of the general versus the ambivalence of the sergeant. And the consequences of each. Film covers a lot of territory decades before we had Platoon and Deer Hunter. Don't expect a lot of action. It is more about how the events of war shape their path. Well worth the time.

Even some sixty (60) years later since the movie release in 1958 this war rears its ugly head and shows us what army veterans can turn into after being in the field for too long or too often. Racism, anti-semitism, brutality, spousal abuse, extra-marital affairs, paranoia, and alcoholism all play a role in defining this band of army veterans sent off to fight yet another endless fight overseas. This is not a pretty picture, nor is it a heroic picture, but it is filled with a lot of raw feelings and true to life violence, thus the appropriate title "The Naked and the Dead". I give the film an 8 out of 10 rating and it still stands up pretty good some six decades later.

I have not read Mailer's book but I did see some Walsh Movies ("pursued" "white heat" "Colorado territory") and those movies feature touches of madness -the end of "white heat" is memorable-,this madness which emerges again in this war movie. The key of the movie is given by the sarge telling his men that they are not part of the Army.He's arguably a lunatic but he did understand:the enemy is not the Japs -whom we barely see anyway-,but as Pottier wrote in "l'Internationale" our own generals.Cummings ' s attitude echoes to that:see him playing chess -an obvious metaphor- or "waging war" in front of a model.Cummings 's madness (which is true , the cigarette scene is revealing )matches the sarge's one. Walsh,though his film is very harsh ,shows compassion,notably for the soldier whose wife died in child-birth . The final lines of the lieutenant ,saved by his men,are:they did not do it out of fear but out of pity.

From Norman Mailer's celebrated book about kill-happy Army sergeant in the Pacific, 1943. In the lead, handsome Aldo Ray gets a chance to show his swagger portraying a man doing battle with the enemy as well as with himself and his own men; otherwise, this glum effort is War-is-Hell routine. Bernard Herrmann's score sounds suspiciously like the one he turned in for "Taxi Driver" in 1976. Hmmm....

Lots of reviews but not one has mentioned the thing that was the most strange and unreleastic in the combat scenes, the magic hand grenades. Yes the scenery and the visual use of the environment was very well done. But in the combat scene in the field and the one by the mountain pass the same thing happened - after some shooting then someone yells to use hand grenades and they do. Both times they throw them extremely far and right to where the Japanese are. It's more clear in the mountain scene, you see them throw with a sidearm toss that looks like it might go 15 or 20 feet. Then the angle changes to behind them and it blows up maybe 150 feet or 200 feet away right where the enemy is. The first time they also conveniently started fires around all the enemy soldiers. It's ok, if you can't shoot them with a rifle just throw a grenade at them!!!