Anche gli eroi piangono

It was strange, but interesting watching this movie. Deborah Kerr plays an American Red Cross volunteer who pulls strings to get assigned to the South Pacific to find out the circumstances of her husband's death on Guadalcanal. Thelma Ritter (excellent as always) plays her supervisor who becomes close to Kerr and is not liking what is going on. William Holden (who is unrecognizable, except for the voice) plays sadistic Colonel Black, who is attracted in to the upper middle class Deborah Kerr. It is an unusual role for Holden since his roles typically are suave, sophisticated and the handsome leading man type of parts. Compared to movies from current adolescent-minded writers, directors and producers, it is palatable.

Several scenes from "The Proud and the Profane" were shot at my parents' home in St Thomas, USVI, at Estate Frenchman's Bay on the island's southern side. The company bought (and left) an additional refrigerator to make & keep ice for the stars' drinks (it gets hot under the lights in the Caribbean!). I also remember seeing a few huge electric bulbs that apparently were blown out or not worth the expense of shipping back to Hollywood. Since I was in elementary school in the States at the time of shooting, I didn't get to watch any of the production, but heard all the stories when I returned for the summer. "The Frogmen", with Richard Widmark, was also shot on the property (in the bay in front of the house).

Deborah Kerr is a war widow during the Second World War. Her husband joined the Marines, despite being an architect and thus made for the Engineers, became a paratrooper, and died on Guadalcanal. So she has joined the American Red Cross and is working under Thelma Ritter. Tough-as-nails William Holden sees her, decides he wants her, and they begin an affair preparatory to getting married. It doesn't work out well.

Somehow we are to think that these two manipulative characters matters a hill of beans, when the supporting characters have so little trouble stealing our attention whenever they're onscreen. Thelma Ritter, of course, but also Dewey Martin as a Marine whom Miss Ritter saved from prison by running a settlement house in his terrible neighborhood; Adam Williams, as the man who tells Miss Kerr off; even Michele Montau as a man-hungry widow.

George Seaton had been an auteur since before they coined the term, and this was the 1950s, so there's certainly some bloating here, with almost two hour elapsing from start to finish. He certainly offers the audience enough big shots, with Puerto Rico standing in for New Caledonia. Holden and Miss Kerr play their roles to the hilt, but I kept waiting for Frank Gorshin or Ross Bagdasarian to show up again.

Considering the cast this oddly obscure WWII war drama is nothing special but is ultimately an entertaining drama.

The basic story is a standard one of a clash of values between two people with very different life experiences.

The best performance as usual comes from Thelma Ritter as a no nonsense nurse, whenever she's on screen she cuts right through the somewhat sugary dramatics with astringent fortitude.

Deborah Kerr and William Holden perform their assigned roles well but their characters are both pretty selfish and unsympathetic to involve you in their story.

This movie has been on YouTube for three years but not viewed very frequently considering the stars (William Holden, Deborah Kerr & Thelma Ritter) but perhaps that is because it is a far from perfect print.

The story focuses on how the experiences of war change three of the characters as it attempts to encompass the most important aspects of life: love & faith. War strips away everything that is not important and forces people to confront their true selves, sometimes with devastating results.

This is not a grand passionate romance, and those who criticize it because it lacks these qualities are missing the point of the movie. It is not so much about relationships with others, but about one's understanding of oneself.

None of the characters are particularly likeable but as the movie progresses we gradually come to understand their life experiences and why they are as they are. All are impacted by the destruction of war of which we only see the consequences. This is not a realistic depiction of war but rather how war changes people.