Romance dos Sete Mares

A fine John Wayne movie and no WWII movie collector should be without it. This movie's great patriotic musical score is also a fine example of strong & very well-written harmonies for male chorus; the score sounds like the U.S. Navy Band's men's chorus (an astounding group of music professionals by the way) and is a dramatic performance that supports this very positive story of the Seabees. With some added drama along the way, this movie demonstrates some of the work done by the SeaBees - building facilities & runways on remote islands during WWII; massive runway construction with PSP grid materials, bulldozing, & hut construction, which were all representative of the basics that needed accomplishing during this campaign. This was a refreshing viewing experience in that the then media was supportive of the American fighting man, and while this may make some in today's culture wince, that's their problem. Today's warriors and sailors are just as honorable & deserving of the kind of support that surrounds this kind of movie, and watching this production reminds you of that fact. Very dramatic, perhaps over-acted at times, but a great story about our fine Seabees! If you are a patriot, I believe you'll enjoy this movie.

Werner's rather tepid 6 out of 10 evaluation of THE FIGHTING SEABEES notwithstanding (I'd have given the film much higher, but that is just opinion), the allegation that Wayne failed to perform military service during World War II owing to "disabling restrictions" is simply not true. Accounts vary in accounting for his lack of military service, but none of them have to do with disabilities of any kind. As a married man with four children, he was exempt from the draft. His daughter Ayssa reports that Wayne was eager for military service but that pressure from Republic Pictures (with whom he was making enormously profitable films) convinced him not to volunteer for military service. A less flattering picture emerges from Gary Wills JOHN WAYNE'S America: THE POLITICS OF CELEBRITY in which evidence seems to indicate that Wayne (who was no physical coward by any stretch of the imagination) made a complex decision based on his growing stature in the film industry, his value as a propaganda symbol, his increasing paycheck, and the fact that he found film-making so rewarding. Whether an outside observer finds this an appealing portrait or not, there is ample evidence to suggest that Wayne always regretted thereafter not having served on active duty.

Saying this film is "propaganda" is not an insult. No, it was deliberately crafted to encourage Americans that we can and will win the war if we stand firm. And what better image of this than the ever-vigilant John Wayne--the embodiment of the Hollywood image of heroism.

This film reminds me a lot of The Flying Tigers, though the plot isn't so melodramatic. It's about a crew of civilian engineers sent overseas to do construction for our troops (such as building runways and other projects). BUT, the evil Japanese in the movie take advantage of the fact that these are unarmed civilians and butcher them at every opportunity. So, what is The Duke and his trusted pals to do? Take up arms and use their own equipment when necessary to beat the stuffing out of the Japs! Yes, guys with bulldozers and clubs NEVER could have inflicted the casualties you witness in the movie, but man if it isn't entertaining to watch--particularly the explosive ending.

Picked this up as a cheap DVD as I am a sucker for 40's/50's WW2 films.

Taken as a bit of propaganda and entertainment, and not reflecting in any way historical fact, it achieves it's aim. IMO, it is not up to the standard of some of Wayne's other WW2 films of this period such as Sands of Iwo Jima and They Were Expendable.

It is somewhat disjointed, but I can imagine it having a positive effect on recruitment for the US Forces. Some earlier threads have commented on the reasons why Wayne did not have active war service. Whatever the reason, I would think he had a more positive effect on by being on film rather than seeing active service.

Ended up being a pretty good war film. A bit more acting cred for John Wayne than in his Westerns, which is fine. Some really good combat scenes, by the standards of the time. And Susan Hayward provided the much-needed eye candy. Sitting here in the hyper-polarized polity of today, it's a little hard to wrap one's mind around the wartime unity. And yes, I noticed the depictions of Japanese soldiers that are considered racist in today's oh so sensitive times. But it's never fair to judge personages or art from the past by a politically correct standard of which they knew nothing. Sort of like criticizing Jesus for admonishing slaves to obey their masters.