Un magnifique salaud

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.

The combined credits of William Holden and Deborah Kerr will contain the titles of the best films of the Fifties. But The Proud And Profane will never go down in the top 10 list of either of these stars.

Kerr is a Red Cross volunteer sent to New Caledonia which was a major US base in the Pacific War in the Forties. She's a recent widow of a Marine Lieutenant killed at Guadalcanal. Now she's in her grief trying to make some kind of atonement. What we don't need here is women on some kind of pilgrimage as her new supervisor at the Red Cross played by Thelma Ritter points out. In fact Ritter tries many times during the film to give Kerr a reality check.

Holden was her husband's brigade commander and one tougher than usually tough Marine. Apparently her husband was a sensitive sort and Holden is unlike him in just about every way. In fact Holden is brutally frank about wanting to get to know her intimately and does.

After which he undergoes a complete change of heart. And it turns out he's married most unhappily to a woman back in the states.

These two stars had all the chemistry of vinegar and peppermint lifesavers. Funny because very soon Kerr was to be cast with Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows Mr. Allison where he plays a tough Marine and she a nun. Those two were wonderful on screen together. But no movie magic emanated from the silver screen with Holden and Kerr.

William Redfield plays a chaplain and some of those scenes with Holden were like Spock and McCoy going back and forth. Redfield was way too self righteous in a way DeForest Kelley never was.

Best in the film is Thelma Ritter who many times is just that. And Adam Williams has a small, but key role as a gravedigger and tender in the new cemetery on Guadalcanal. He's the one who finally gives Kerr the ultimate of reality checks.

Definitely a film for fans of the two stars and Thelma Ritter.

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).

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.

An intriguing recounting of the tolls of war from a human standpoint without graphic depiction of battle scenes, this focuses upon the lives of four primary characters stationed in Guadalcanal and/or Bataan, in the South Pacific, during World War II.

"The Proud and Profane" (Paramount, 1956) studies psychological aspects of its characters: Lieutenant Colonal Colin Black (William Holden in a belligerent role), Lee Ashley (Deborah Kerr as a determined force), Kate Connors (Thelma Ritter as a no-nonsense nursing supervisor), Eddie Wodcik (Dewey Martin as an innocent serviceman) and Chaplain Holmes (William Redfield as an altruistic minister).

While Lee volunteers with Kate's Red Cross troop with an ulterior motive in mind, Colin finds himself drawn to her unattainable reserve. Kate provides common sense for Lee to abide by and also security for the nurses and wounded service personal in her charge, as well as for Eddie, whom she treats as her nephew.

Produced by William Perlberg, directed by George Seaton, with its screenplay by George Seaton, based on a novel by Lucy Herndon Crockett, this wartime drama pleasantly buffers the viewer from unwelcome scenes of direct enemy attacks. Filmed in Black & White on location in Puerto Rico, this affords the viewer arrays of tropical scenery and often contains aerial footage of panoramic mountain scenery, as well as its calm coastal plains and lagoons.

Its capable cast handles its material well, with poignant portrayals of those who serve and suffer...in more ways than one.