L'île des braves

In the midst of WWII, a pair of American transport planes (each full of Marines) is shot down. One (piloted by Walker) manages to crash land on a nearby uncharted island which happens to be inhabited by a small contingent of Japanese soldiers. Directed by Sinatra (in his one and only try), the film demonstrates the parallels and differences between these small units of soldiers on opposing sides and with varying backgrounds. Much of the film is devoted to the Japanese point of view as they are led by Mihashi (and most of it is presented in their native tongue with subtitles.) The rest concerns Walker, who takes charge of the remaining men, Sinatra, a boozy medic, Sands, a hopelessly eager upstart and Dexter, a grizzled Sergeant. Hostility between the enemies finally gives way to a sort of truce, or at least a cease-fire, until finally the men must live up to their country's expectations of eliminating each other. There's a lot of good in the film. It was an early example of showing more than one perspective with regards to enemies of America and it demonstrates, at times rather well, the ultimate futility and wastefulness of war. However, Sinatra, as a director, is in a bit over his head and the film is often static or choppy in it's narrative. There are also a ridiculous amount of scenes in which characters stay alive simply because either the enemy stops shooting (for no reason) or else misses by a mile. A lot of this could have been rectified in the staging of the battle sequences. Sinatra's role in the film is actually a supporting one, mostly consisting of one queasy, unbearably nerve-tingling sequence in which he is traded to the Japanese in order to perform surgery on one of their men. Otherwise, he is just onhand to provide the occasional snarky remark. Walker is a tower of virility and quiet strength. NO ONE wore a helmet like him or filled out their fatigues with more monument-like beauty. His enthralling baritone voice and piercing, ice-blue eyes make sitting through this film a little more enjoyable than it could have been without him. Sands is so unintentionally hilarious and so jaw-droppingly bad that his scenes ascend into some crazed, parodic comic stratosphere! WHAT was he thinking? It's like some teenage punk decided to portray a soldier the way he always dreamed of when in his sandbox as a child. His jaw, his posture, his accent.....all combine to create a memorably uproarious caricature. Dexter (the always-forgotten member of "The Magnificent Seven") has a couple of decent moments, notably in a conflict with Walker. Other soldiers are portrayed by healthy-looking, earnest actors who fit their roles well, though most of them don't get a chance to really shine. There are two very brief flashbacks by Mihashi and Walker that present the lady loves of their lives. Walker's is played (with hair and make-up that are about as 1940's as Sharon Tate in "Valley of the Dolls"!) by Stephens in her film debut. Though uneven, the film succeeds in presenting the enemy as human and in promoting the power of goodwill. The fact that Walker, in every frame, is breathtakingly handsome is gravy. (Oddly, he is pictured NOWHERE on the video box even though he is actually the leading man of the film!)

Over in the trivia section of the IMDb there is a submission that reads something like..."When he (Tommy Sands)divorced Frank's kid (her name is Nancy), Sinatra allegedly saw to it that his (Sand's) career went permanently on the rocks"...or something like that. Statements like that should be followed by telling exactly just how this was accomplished. This film, "None But the Brave" may contain the answer. It was directed (none too well at that) by Mr. Sinatra, and Mr. Sands, in every scene he is in and every line he speaks, gives the most shrill, bizarre, over-the-top, irritating,mind-boggling, irksome, get-the-hook, somebody-please-shoot-him performance ever seen in a movie that had a budget of over $1200. He was not good enough as an actor to have been that bad on purpose. He was not good enough of an actor to have been that bad accidentally. Only a director on a mission can take a performer to the depths reached by Tommy Sands in this film. Thanks a lot, Dad.

On a tiny forgotten island in the Pacific, there a tiny and forgotten Japanese outpost--with men who'd become stuck there with no great hope of rescue. Into this tiny place arrives a crashing airplane filled with US Marines. When they land, hostilities naturally break out between the groups. However, after a while they realize that killing each other will solve nothing and they have to work together to survive--forging an uneasy peace and friendship between enemy combatants.

NONE BUT THE BRAVE is a film that is a real product of the times. Had anyone wanted to make such a film in the 1940s, they might just have been strung up for the film's very unusual sensibilities. Unlike older war films, in this one the Japanese are humanized a great deal and it's obvious that the film was made during the anti-war 60s (though early in the anti-war years). In many ways, this is a good thing--showing that people on both sides could be decent. Though in some ways the whole thing seemed a bit hard to believe--after all, very, very few Japanese officers would have admitted to not having faith in the war--this was a very 1960s sentiment.

As for the acting, it was generally good. Clint Walker was clearly the star, though Frank Sinatra had a decent co-starring role in this film that he both produced and directed. The Japanese actors also were pretty good. The only weak point was the way Tommy Sands' character was written--he was like a one-dimensional caricature instead of a real soldier. No young lieutenant is THAT obnoxious and stupid!!

Overall, an entertaining film but one that strains credibility, as the concept behind the film just doesn't make much sense for the 1940s. Still, if you can stop those voices in your head from complaining about the plot, it's a good and very different movie.

Like its better known cousin HELL IN THE PACIFIC, NONE BUT THE BRAVE is a story about US and Japanese troops stranded on a desert island during WW2. It's a tense and highly watchable tale that makes Frank Sinatra's sole directorial credit, and he also co-stars in the movie as the medic of the group.

The tale is quite low key and more of a character piece than an action film. There are action scenes here, but they're few and far between and low budget. Nonetheless the film looks classy and expensive with fine cinematography that brings the lush locations to life. As an anti-war piece of filmmaking, it ploughs much the same furrow as HELL IN THE PACIFIC, exploring the way in which all soldiers are the same and the parallels between the two units despite their utmost grievances.

There are some exemplary performances amid the cast members. Clint Walker is exceptional as the nominal group leader and Tatsuya Mihashi his equal as his Japanese rival. Sinatra himself gives an understated performance but the set-piece involving the amputation is the tensest and best in the whole film, a minor acting masterclass from the star. Only Tommy Sands falls apart with a turn that could best be described as a caricature of a real person.

an old idea done better in many other movies, i.e opposing sides find themselves in the same boat and fight and wonder why; odd part if the several misplaced performances; start with sinatra doing the typical club singer vegas performance except in uniform in the south pacific; follow that with the most bizarre- tommy sands, then a teen idol singer (oh, and sinatra's son in law) who was a little person with a little voice somehow not realizing what a fool he was acting by pretending to be a big tough marine booming out orders; it's just laughable; anyway, the best version of this is lee marvin in hell in the pacific; still a war movie but thoughtful, interestingly shot