A Chuva Me Tortura

"Shadow in the Sky" is a fascinating film because it talks about something practically no film talked about at that time--Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Back then, the only other film that I can think of that dealt with it at all was "The Men"--but this was much more about the physical difficulties injured men face after the war. Here, while Ralph Meeker looks normal, he isn't. And in situations that remind him of the hell he lived through in the Pacific, he becomes a nervous bowl of goo. But, to make this much more interesting, the film focuses much of its energy on his family--a sister (Nancy Davis) and brother-in-law (James Whitmore) who are uncomfortable and cowardly when it comes to accepting him into their home after his very lengthy stay in the hospital. In fact, you really dislike the pair--especially the sister, as her own fears seem much stronger than her love for her brother. A fascinating and VERY unique film I can't recommend strongly enough. My only reservation, and it's a small one, is that sometimes the characters behave a bit strangely--in particular, Meeker's nephew--who is just plain bizarre!

This is a post-war story about the effects of what today we'd call PTSD. Ralph Meeker is a former marine who's confined at a VA facility in California. 90% of the time, he's a standup guy who seems to have a promising future, but whenever it rains, he turns into a major head case who can't escape his past wartime experience in the South Pacific. Nancy (Davis) Reagan plays his sister who is married to James Whitmore's character. They vacillate between whether or not to take in Meeker to provide a little support for his condition and give him a stable home life, as well as a potential job working with Whitmore at his roadside gas station and garage. The problem is that they've also got two young kids at home, and they don't want to expose them to their uncle's episodes whenever the weather turns inclement. They also are afraid Meeker might really wig out and hurt his niece and nephew during one of his "bad" days.

Jean Hagen plays Meeker's love interest. She too has some kind of mental incapacity, but the film never really explains how she got that way. And therein lies the problem with this picture. It's a great story with good performances by the four leads, but the script is a real puzzler. There are so many holes and unanswered questions with so little back story of the characters. This movie was released about 3 months after "Singin' in the Rain" came out, and it was fun to see how good an actress Jean Hagen was when you compare the two pictures. "Shadow in the Sky" is only an hour and 18 minutes long, and if the script were given an extra 20 or 30 minutes, some of those unanswered questions could have been addressed. It's the only film I can think of where Ralph Meeker can be seen in a speedo.

Ralph Meeker plays a Marine veteran of the famous battle for Gualdalcanal. The experience left him with PTSD. His condition arises from the memory of carrying a wounded Marine (James Whitmore, who plays Meeker's brother-in-law married to Meeker's sister played by Nancy Davis (Reagan) to safety during a rainstorm as the battle raged on. While Hollywood made the fierce fight for Guadalcanal famous, this pic attempts to illustrate the longterm fallout of the battle on one Marine's psyche. It's pretty good, though it leaves you wondering why Meeker is so traumatized since he actually rescued his future bro-in-law rather than letting him die. If he had done that he might have really been traumatized by crippling guilt. But since he actually rescued him and only feels guilty about considering the possibility of just leaving him in the mud, the whole PTSD premise seems a little far-fetched. In any event, the acting is great between Meeker, Whitmore, Davis, and Jean Hagen, who is in love with Meeker. The weather forecast plays a pivotal role, especially if there's a chance of rain.

Thoughtful (if not particularly incisive) look at mental illness in veterans brought on by their war experiences after suffering extreme duress in the midst of battle. One emotional Marine, recuperating at a hospital in southern California, is deemed well enough to leave, but his sister and brother-in-law (whose life the soldier saved overseas) are reluctant to take him in because of his volatile nature. Excellent performances from Ralph Meeker, Nancy Davis, and James Whitmore nearly compensate for Ben Maddow's sketchy screenplay which begins as a study of human frailties but soon becomes a family melodrama (its subject matter whittled down to one case). Thus, scenes such as a dance at the Veteran's Hospital serve no real purpose, with the viewer left in the uncomfortable position of waiting for Meeker's Marine to lose self-control. Nevertheless, an unusual product to come from MGM, with several taut and moving sequences--though not enough to quite fill its running-time. **1/2 from ****

Earnest little movie that's almost a sleeper, thanks to a solid cast, good production values, and an affecting story. Ex-Marine Burt (Meeker) is in a VA hospital suffering from periodic bouts of battle shock, especially when it rains. Meanwhile, his solid citizen sister Betty (Davis) and her husband Lou (Whitmore) live close by. Burt wants to get out of the confinement and move in with them. But Betty and Lou have two kids and are wary that the unpredictable Burt may prove a live-in hazard. The predicament is compounded by the fact that Burt saved Lou's life during the war, thus Lou has an obligation. So how these various threads get resolved forms the core of the plot.

Hats off to glamorous MGM for foregoing the usual glitz with location filming and a sturdy, if non-glamorous cast. Whatever her politics, Davis-Reagan was a fine actress, excelling at everyday roles, while Meeker at this stage was a Brando-type, though here he calibrates in non-emoting fashion. Of course, Whitmore is Whitmore, looking like an everyday guy as the role requires. Together, they make this story of post-war wounds both affecting and believable, even if in a Hollywood manner. I especially like the rapport between Burt and Lou, which ultimately relies on the male bonding so common among men in battle. Understandably, there were a number of these war trauma films made during this period. However, this obscure little B-film can hold its own even among the bigger boys.