Sands of Iwo Jima
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.70 You Save: $10.28 (69%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.24 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Sands of Iwo Jima
Movie Review: "UNCOMMON VALOR WAS A COMMON VIRTUE"-Admiral C.W. Nimitz
Summary: 5 Stars
Admiral Nimitz was commenting on the marines' successful efforts to secure this very strategic island during the 36 day battle, starting on February 19, against this Japanese stronghold. Of the six marines who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi, only three survived, all of which led quiet lives afterwards, never boasting about their achievements; many of their comrades died there. This movie was made right after the war just when the U.S. government was considering nixing the marines. John Wayne was one of many who came to the rescue, and in the movie, he does so as the brave Sargeant Stryker. The marines were instrumental in taking the island, as the VHS version documents after the end of the actual film. This movie was one of my dad's favorite WWII films; my dad was only 16 at the time the war ended, yet had a friend who survived this battle, yet with the loss of one of his legs. Almost 7000 Americans died, many tens of thousands were wounded. The Japanese population on this small island was very nearly annihilated. John Wayne's first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor came from his role in this film.
Though many of the actors in this film were well known in their day, the only one I had heard of was John Wayne, although I'm sure my dad would've known them all. The movie is very dated, over 50 years old. I didn't get really interested in the story until half way through in that it mainly depicts barracks life for the marines until their deployment. The actual battle takes up only a fraction of the movie's time, the majority of it more concerned with the personalities and conflicts within the corp pre-engagement. I had hoped the movie would contain more historical details than it did since I knew precious little about it; however, probably in 1949, most Americans knew all about it from the news, newspapers and from friends and relatives who knew of people who had fought there. (The quote from Nimitz was not in the movie, nor the historical facts). Still, the movie's a classic, and I can see why my dad loved it. We're not a marine family, but Semper Fi!
Movie Review: "And when you stand up, you're gonna be Marines!"
Summary: 5 Stars
An absolutely great film! It is set against the backdrop of WWII in the Pacific, with new 'boots' (recruits) being assimilated into a rifle squad led by one of the toughest Marines they'd ever want to meet (John Wayne plays Sgt John M. Stryker). He has his failings (an estranged wife and an alcohol problem), but is deadly serious when it comes to getting them ready for combat. John Agar plays one of Sgt Stryker's recruits, and is a highly intelligent young man who reluctantly joins the the Corps not out of a sense of duty, but because of family ties to the Corps. He is belligerent to Stryker's entreaties to get him to come around to the training and importance of what is at stake, but Stryker will get his squad 'squared away', no matter how much all his recruits hate him. Its 'his way or sickbay'. Sent to fight in the battle of Tarawa, all his charges soon learn how deadly serious combat is. Of note in the Tarawa sequence are the cameos by Gen. David Shoup and Major 'Jim' Crowe, veterans of and leaders at the battle for Tarawa. In a scene were Stryker's given the command to stay put so as not to give away the thinness of their understrength line to the enemy, he shows how far he will go to carry out orders, no matter how terrible the circumstances, or the personal pain or cost. In the Iwo Jima sequence (complete with cameos by three surviving flag raisers on Surabachi), he leads from the front, and though not as graphic as some would want in this era of 'Saving Private Ryan' realism, the human cost and sacrifice is always portrayed. The negative reviewers must put into perspective the time this film was released (1949). For a movie of its day, it was full of about as much realism as was allowed. As a Marine of 24 years of active service, it does say something when, to this day, Marines want to have all the positive virtues of a Sgt Stryker. It is an enduring legacy left to us by the toughest Marines of the past and embodied in this truly iconic film.Movie Review: One of the best war movies ever
Summary: 5 Stars
John Wayne stars as Sgt. Striker. Striker is a marine who
is given a group of misfits to turn into men. Striker is
also dealing with problems at home. His wife hates the military
and has left him taking their son away. Wayne is obviously
concerned about what will happen to his son in the clutches of
someone who may teach him none of the values of being an
American.
Making it worse, one of Wayne's men is the son of a famous
soldier but has been so brainwashed that he hates America,
everything it stands for and the military. Its obvious that
this guy represents what Wayne fears his son will be turned
into by his wife: an anti-american/anti-military peacenik
liberal weakling.
Wayne is the pure image of the american fighting leader. He is
a machine that crushes everyone in his path. He knocks one
old troublemaker soldier around as an example and that brings
the men into line. By the time they get to Iwo, Striker has
built them into a fighting unit. No personalities, no thoughts
except for battle, no fear. They have been perfectly prepared
for the battle. And having accomplished his task, Striker is
killed during the battle.
His death teaches us as Americans a final and most important
lesson. None of the men are important in their lives or what
they do. Leaders are not important either. Whats important is
that the corps as a big machine keeps going. Striker builds
the new leaders in battle and then the torch is passed to them
to go on and do the same thing.
War builds character and burns away the phony idealogy of
liberalism and peace. Great men like Sgt. Striker are not
created in classrooms, they can only be created in war.
Movie Review: Semper Fi, Mac!
Summary: 5 Stars
I always find it irritating to read analyses of military movies by obvious civilians who know nothing about the military, combat and specifically about the Marine Corps.
This is one of the best movies John Wayne made and was the one, at least, for which he should have won an Oscar.
The Stryker character, played by Wayne, was not a "martinet". He plays a Marine sergeant, a combat veteran, the way a Marine sergeant is supposed to be. Tough, but fair. He pushes his people, boots (recruits), because he wants to help them survive when they hit the beach. If they don't survive they are no good to him and no good to the mission. Wayne does an excellent job of portraying that.
The surviving flag raisers who were in the movie were Marines Gagnon and Hayes, and Navy Corpsman Bradley (whose son wrote Flags of Our Fathers), not, as one previewer noted, "three Marines". Navy Corpsmen are proud to be Navy Corpsmen and are respected as such by the Marines with whom they serve.
Also, the characters were not "soldiers" and it is really irritating when that term is used to describe Marines. The men this story is about were Marines and the actors play Marines, a title that is EARNED.
In short, even though actual combat footage is spliced into the movie's action, given the time it was made, it is well done. There are some romantic lulls, but given the period the movie was made, 40s and 50s, this was fairly typical. Overali, this is a great movie, even if you are a civilian. It will give fans of the Duke something memorable to watch. It may also give critics of John Wayne a new view of the man as a solid actor.
Movie Review: A Realistic Portrayal of WWII Pacific Combat
Summary: 5 Stars
Sergeant Stryker (John Wayne) must prepare his men for combat. He does! He subjects his men to rough bayonet drills and other forms of combat.
Many modern war movies are sanitized of the realities of war. Not this one! There are numerous scenes of soldiers suffering and dying. There is a scene where a Jewish soldier says his last prayers in Hebrew. There is no happy ending for Sergeant Stryker himself.
The viewer sees the progression of the US island-hopping campaign. The islands of Tarawa and Iwo Jima are seized from the Japanese. In each case, there first is the "softening" of Japanese positions by massive bombing by airplanes and shelling from battleships. Then comes the invasion by amphibious craft. The US soldiers are under constant fire. They must crawl from one hiding place to another in their advance against Japanese positions. The Japanese have a habit of jumping out of their hiding places in caves and attacking unsuspecting Americans from behind. The entrenched Japanese have to be driven out by bazookas and flame throwers. Some of the latter are hand-held, whereas others are tank-mounted. Old-fashioned field phones are used for communication.
This old movie includes actual combat footage!