Der Admiral

When in the days that pass this life that we live,if you happen to come upon this film keep it,view it,and know truly that this is what is meant by the golden age of Hollywood.This is not about the roaring twenties or the 1940s or in fact anything that you can touch.It is a film that involves a time when we in our resolve as a sovereignty were to be attacked by surprise and while unable to provide front line support sufficient to deter such unwarranted aggression we did what we could to figure out how to do what we had as yet been unable to do and that is stop the Japanese.Our military history will recognize that the defense of Guadalcanal will be recognized as a perimeter that was held and cleared at great cost.However,the ability of the Marine Corps to hold were aided by the very gallant efforts of our Navy and so many others that though Guadalcanal was the focus of our efforts,the reader might do well to look up Defense of the South Pacific.This was in fact when we started to take back what was a very high cost to relinquish.Names like battle of savo island,The straights of Iron Bottom Sound,the Solomons,The Tokyo Express,you will learn just how drama can unfold on the silver screen without running up a 300 million dollar tab.This film is about a ordinary man in Admiral William Halsey who at a very critical time in our efforts in the South Pacific took command of our defenses and in a matter of speaking light a fire and proceeded to defend and ultimately defeat the aggression of a dangerous and superior force in the Japanese.This film is not to go past when you come to it.I am personally pleased that where I was a youngster when I first viewed this very fine film, fortunately it has been made available through videotape(VHS)and maybe those that know better would know that these are the films we truly care for.This is in defense of the Gallant Hours, it would do well as a fine package in Digital Versatile Disc.I do not think you can do any better a movie than The Gallant Hours.I can not recommend a picture any more highly than I than this film.A moving tribute to a very ordinary man who said that he would get the credit for the work that was started by others.A worthy movie going experience.It might be well to know that there are subtle ways by which this movie becomes a picture worth saving and it is emphasized in the following words,"I knew a lad who went to sea and left the shore behind him,the lad was me and now I can not find him.Away,away,away he went and left the shore behind him."A do not miss.Sincerely

Robert Montgomery directs this brief, but informative study of Adm. William F. 'Bull' Halsey Jr. in the Pacific during WWII. James Cagney is super as the highly decorated and revered Fleet Commander. Stoic, stern, confident and compassionate...Cagney in one of his best film performances.

Supporting cast is a mix of veteran actors and younger stars: Walter Sande, Les Tremayne, Dennis Weaver, Richard Jaeckel, James Yagi, Robert Burton and Ward Costello.

This is a surprisingly engaging war film, considering there are no action scenes. The movie is well-acted, although Dennis Weaver's "Chester" accent is a bit over-the-top. Cagney is superb as Admiral Halsey, in my opinion his best role ever. His understated pain in ordering only a 'routine' search for his missing son is beautiful, and the heart-to-heart with Roy Webb over the day's combat losses is a textbook lesson in the responsibilities of command. The use of the off-screen narrator in lieu of subtitles to present the Japanese side of the issue is tremendously effective; one wishes it had been used in other films as well. Although there are no combat scenes in the movie, the suspense is palpable as the command staff lives the battle through the air-to-air and ship-to-ship transmissions of men fighting for their lives.

For the war movie or history buff, or the die-hard Cagney fan, this is a fine movie!

Arrgghh!! Whether or not this is a good film, I am surprised that most of the reviewers don't mention the god-awful men's chorus that inappropriately drones on and one with even greater solemnity than a Biblical epic!! It's horrible and annoying--and undermines much of the film. Why this was chosen for the soundtrack I have no idea, as it grates on the nerves like no other soundtrack I can recall! Yes, it's that bad and after a while it sounds almost like bees swarming--I kid you not! Aside from the demoniacally-inspired chorus, the next thing you'll probably notice is the unusual style of the film. Instead of a typical bio-pic, this one is told in a semi-documentary style--with very serious narration punctuating various vignettes of a very small portion of Admiral Halsey's life. This small cross-section of his life consists of just five weeks!! So, it's hard to exactly call this a 'bio-pic' as it would seem to imply more than just a tiny portion of the subject's life.

The film is also surprisingly different from what you'd expect because the telling of the story is very straight-forward and without adornment. Simple and direct seem to be the motto for this film...and have a male chorus that sounds worse than cats begin tortured.

If you want a film version of all of Halsey's life or a warts-and-all film, this is not the movie for you. However, it is very competently made and worth seeing...even with the evil chorus from Hell--though I AM deducting two points for this!

Helped in fact by an astonishing physical resemblance to Admiral William F. Halsey that audiences today can't appreciate, James Cagney in his next to last film before retirement makes a very believable and strained Bull Halsey recollecting those harrowing weeks during the seesaw battle for Guadalcanal.

If one is looking for battle scenes and lots of blood and gore skip this film. If one however would like to see a study about the strain of command than this film is ideal. Cagney drops all of the mannerisms that we normally associate with him in playing Admiral Halsey. It's a restrained and mature performance.

The Gallant Hours is also a tribute to the men of our fighting forces in the Pacific who took and held on to the key island of Guadalcanal in the Solomons and halted the Japanese in the Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations.

Director Robert Montgomery did the film in documentary style and at times you feel like you're in the brain of Admiral Halsey, weighing each decision he makes with him. The familiar voice you hear narrating is that of Montgomery who was no longer acting and now was mostly concerned with production and with political work for the Republican National Committee.

The Gallant Hours is a fine character study of one of America's greatest naval heroes and should not be missed.