Proud

Just saw 'Proud" on a tape last night and didn't know that there was an all black enlisted man crew on a U.S. Navy ship during WWII. Maybe the acting and direction left something to be desired, but the message came across loud and clear.

I enlisted in the Marines at the age of 17, right after WWII was over. In the 3 years I served, I never saw a black Marine. I understood there were some black Marines that served in service and supply units, but they did not go through boot camp with white Marines and were completely segregated from us.

On the Navy ships I boarded, the only black sailors I ever saw were messmen and stewards in the galley and they kept pretty much to themselves. In 1948, when the armed forces were desegregated, I still didn't notice any difference in the racial makeup of our outfit. At the time I didn't think anything of it, but in hindsight, it was an awful way to treat black Americans. I'm glad that era is over.

I enjoyed the movie. Despite the low budget and a foreigner that said he did not know there was discrimination in the American military this film is worth watching. A proper last film for Ossie Davis. With all the violent shoot em up movies out, this should be seen by young people alike. With the exception of Mr Davis and veteran actress Denise Nicholas the group of newcomers performed great. Shooting on location in Ireland added a touch that gave you the impression that you were actually there. Add to that actual footage of the ceremony honoring the crew of the USS Mason for their service to the country. May someone continue to produce these stories without worry of not being Oscar material. Bravo.

I watched this movie last night and was a bit disappointed. A lot of the "time facts" were off. At the beginning of the movie, the grandfather made a comment to this grandson and his friends about how they felt when 9-11 hit. This movie was supposed to be taking place in 1994. Also, one of the grandsons friends was wearing an Eagles Donovan McNabb jersey. He hadn't even been drafted as of yet. The story line was good but the facts and actuality of the time frame was so far off base that it made the movie seem cheesy. My boyfriend is an avid reader of WWII books and memorabilia. I rented this movie hoping that it would be good. The acting was so-so. The dog was cute. But the way that this movie was carried out made me glad that I only paid 4 dollars to rent it as opposed to the 50 it would have taken me to watch it in a theater. I hope that who ever reads this understands that I mean no discontent to those who fought the war but the facts and time frame should have been a little more closely monitored.

As with most who have commented on this movie, it just left me deflated. The story itself is what I was interested in, unfortunately it was told with bad acting, blandness, and a disjointed flow. After the first 15 minutes one gets a sense that the movie was put together in a hurry. The film also splices in some stock footage which appeared to be more of an attempt to flesh out budget constraints than to add significance to the historical nature of the film.

I was hoping to use this film as part of a history lesson, but with some of the flaws already mentioned, I would have lost a bit of credibility.

I would however, like to see this story re-made with the dignity it deserves.

A story about most interesting times told in a most uninteresting way.

The movie feels more like a political propaganda than anything else. Awfully primitive characters, boring lines full of tearful speeches and excessive use of voice-over just add to the effect. Characters are so simple and so wonderful, always smiling, clean and nice, so perfect in every way that it's almost a parody. There is hardly anything happening in the movie. No twists in the plot, no surprises. Characters are either good or bad, like in a child book. No room for dilemmas. Nothing to think about, no challenges for the viewer. Everything is obvious.

Racism is bad, patriotism is good - that's basically the entire movie. I'm not kidding, it's all.

It's as if the script was written by 12 years old idealistic American boy. It's not a movie, it's a commercial.

So, if you didn't know before that racism is bad and hate movies to make you think or give you hard problems to ponder about, then by all means watch "Proud".

In any other case stay away. It's a complete waste of time.