Captain Newman

I enjoyed the movie very much. Of course I am one of those baby boomer's born after World War II. So I and my siblings would play war (those were the days when parents would remind their charges that movies were make believe). So being 12 years old at the time, "Captain Newman, M.D." was one of the few adult films that I as a kid that I enjoyed and understood. Even being that young I had for the most part enjoyed, Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Bobby Darin and Eddie Albert in their respective rolls. I felt for Eddie's character as a Colonel Norval Algate Bliss. Having sent his people out to death, it was a memory his character could not live with. To me, he played the character well, not just acting, but because he had "been there, done that" and so he had seen his share of death during World War II at Tarawa. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys acting at its best.

This a serious and Harrowing tale of the psychological traumas suffered by American Servicemen .. and Gregory Peck as the struggling Doctor trying to mend damaged minds.. I find it difficult to understand why this Film has been categorised as 'Comedy' when clearly it isn't..!! Especially Bobby Darrin, delivers an outstanding performance as Corporal Jim Tompkins .. I would put this film up there with to 'To Kill a Mocking Bird ' -an outstanding performance from Gregory Peck .. There is NO comedy in this film .. the film deals direcly with the consequences of Horror in Warfare.. especially the Psychological trauma of the soldiers who survive, when they have witnessed the death of their buddies at first hand.. A film way before it's time .. -this is NOT a comedy.. but a deeply moving, serious film..

I previously gave a terrible review to Peck's movie Spellbound. This movie just goes to show that he CAN make a good movie about psychiatry (unlike Spellbound--yuck).

Peck is an officer running a psychiatric ward stateside during WWII. He has a good heart and good intentions and tries a lot of different techniques to help these men. What I like is that although he is generally successful, it is very clear Captain Newman feels, at times, over his head dealing with these many patients. He is not a SUPERMAN but a decent guy who's trying his best.

Tony Curtis is the comic relief. So, while the movie is VERY serious at times, it also can be rather comical. This is a tough balance but it is done well and I liked Curtis in this film.

However, apart from Gregory Peck, the real standout in the movie is Bobby Darin. Although he only is a supporting player, his is the meatiest performance. He wonderfully plays a man suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (though he outwardly hides it with bravado and obnoxiousness)--this is particularly true when he is under the influence of Sodium Pentathol (or some other "truth serum"). I would say it is worth seeing the film just for this sequence--it's just so nice that there are many other good moments to recommend this flick.

Though highly entertaining at many points (largely due to the antics of Cpl. Jackson 'Jake' Leibowitz and his band of merry Italian POWs who sing semitic native American songs--don't ask, don't try to figure it out, just see the movie--and even some of the very well executed art of subtle humor carried out by Capt. Newman, MD) this movie manages to have a quite serious theme at its core . . . the intense psychological effects on a soldier's mind which can be brought upon by the reality of war. It's refreshing to see a movie from this period that touches on these more delicate, in-depth themes of war rather than portraying the glories of war as so many other films contemporary to this one do. Not to say that all other films from this era or before don't touch on these themes. One other great example would be 1949's Twelve O'Clock High, also starring Gregory Peck. The dialog is consistently fresh, and I found the pace to move along quite nicely. This movie features a superb cast who performs wonderfully throughout the film. If you like serious, thought-provoking, emotional themes, yet also enjoy lots of good laughs, then I would recommend seeing this film.

*On a side note, given the fact that this movie--from my perspective--seems to be somewhat ahead of its time in subject matter, directing style in some of the scenes, and even some concepts not too common during the 60s, it's interesting to point out that the movie still portrays the classical female role in life. There is one line that is spoken by Lt. Francie Corum that shows this perfectly. The line doesn't seem to be necessary and doesn't really fit with what the characters are discussing. I won't tell you the line, but try to find it for some fun.

It's 1944 and Capt. Josiah J. Newman (Gregory Peck) is in charge of the military neuropsychiatric ward. Other staff includes Cpl. Jake Leibowitz (Tony Curtis) and nurse Lt. Francie Corum (Angie Dickinson).

The military is resistant to Newman and his views on PTSD. He is challenged at every turn. The movie itself was probably at the cutting edge in 1963. The movie was filmed 10 years after the end of the Korean war, and that usually is when the Hollywood reflection movies start to be made. The acting is still movie versions of crazy in today's terms. But it was probably a good improvement on a realistic look at mental illness at the time.