sky3walker

It's not surprising many war veterans like this film. Dramatically framed with a voice-over by James Whitmore as the epitome of a Marine Sergeant who cares about his men but knows the mission is all, the film quickly draws us into the lives of these men and their women in a suspenseful and satisfying way. There is enough good acting by Whitmore, Van Heflin, Dorothy Malone, John Lupton and others to get us past the less well acted and more cliched moments. Some scenarios, such as the tragedy-to-triumph of the lumberjack womanizer(Aldo Ray)and the New Zealand farm widow (Nancy Olson)are superbly plotted and played. There are many memorable moments in the film and Uris' varied characters are well represented.(Please note that Navaho code-talkers are credited here.) Combat and training imagery and sound is generally high quality, but the outstanding aspect of the film is the way it explores the human qualities of those men and women who face the tests of war.

With a pretense of being a salute to a great American institution and the brave officers it produces, this film relies on choppy inserts of combat stock footage, flat dialogue, and improbable situations (but nonetheless a very predictable plot swiped from the 1928 film "Annapolis") to "glorify" a great tradition. Everyone looks great, including the Navy fighter jets, and there are some respectful shots of Academy traditions, but if the studio wanted to make a cinema salute to Annapolis and its graduates who served in the Korean war, it should have employed a more creative and/or dedicated director and more talented writers, film editors, and cinematographers. Annapolis deserves better. For dramatic contrast see John Ford's salute to West Point: "The Long Gray Line."

Be warned that this film has great comic dialogue delivered with fine timing by good actors, but if you are prissy about political correctness and hung up on "gender issues", it might discomfort you. But that's your problem, not the film's. Most viewers can just come aboard and enjoy the voyage, appreciating the comic situations and energetic pace. Grant and Curtis are in top form, playing their contrasting characters with skill. Virginia Gregg's and Arthur O'Connell's characters' love/hate relationship is a clever use of classic "gender issues" to elicit laughs and sympathy. The women in this film are more than just sexy ballast. In any case, as a great French comedian noted, "Vive la difference!" Relax, enjoy, and anchors aweigh.