Plot: What’s it about?
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a team was assembled to rebuild and of course, retaliate against the Japanese forces. Captain Rockwell Torrey (John Wayne) and Commander Paul Eddington (Kirk Douglas) are members of this team, but due to other events in their lives, there’s not complete attention given to the assignment. Torrey is involved in a potential romantic connection with nurse Maggie Haynes (Patricia Neal), as well as working toward restoring some of the other relationships in his life. He’s not always been known as a nice person, but it looks like some things have changed for him, as shown in his recent behavior. This film looks at the actual bombing of Pearl Harbor, the immediate aftereffects, the return attack plans, and of course, the various personal relationships of the characters involved. I know this synopsis seems a little thin, but rest assured, the film is much thicker and engrossing.
This is one of the many films based on the events around the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but it stands out as one of the better ones, with scores of wonderful performances. Such names as John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Burgess Meredith, Slim Pickens, Henry Fonda, George Kennedy, and many others all appear here, making it one of the more loaded casts in memory, to be sure. The ensemble nature of the picture doesn’t allow for enriched characters too much, but the smaller roles add depth and really make this an epic motion picture, most impressive indeed. But the small details aren’t lost in the wide scale production, not by any means and in truth, I am often amazed with the attention to the smaller stories. This is not your typical war movie to say the least and while some of the soap opera elements don’t work all that well, In Harm’s Way is still recommended to genre fans, though a rental is in order, due to the high price involved.
It is hard to isolate a single performance in such a talented cast of workers, but I think John Wayne’s effort really stands out above the others. Wayne was popular and could always fill the theaters, but he wasn’t considered a great actor, at least not by most people. But in In Harm’s Way, Wayne delivers a potent dramatic performance that defies his critics, perhaps his finest turn in the traditional sense. He steps out of his usual trademark character and spins one heck of a performance, very impressive work indeed. You can also see Wayne in such films as The Searchers, Rio Bravo, Sands of Iwo Jima, Stagecoach, Fort Apache, and The Horse Soldiers. The cast also includes Kirk Douglas (Spartacus, The Final Countdown), Burgess Meredith (Rocky, Grumpy Old Men), Slim Pickens (Dr. Strangelove, Blazing Saddles), Dana Andrews (Night of the Demon, The Devil’s Brigade), Patricia Neal (Cookie’s Fortune, Stranger from Venus), and Jill Haworth (Horror House, Horror of Snape Island).
Video: How does it look?
In Harm’s Way is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I had just viewed Hell is for Heroes prior to this disc, so I was worried about this would look in comparison, but I had nothing to worry about in the end. I wouldn’t say this is as impressive, but it is a very good black & white transfer and more than does the flick justice. The print looks very clean and defies the film’s age, which is always a great trait on any film, to be sure. The contrast is stark and well balanced, so no detail is lost, even in the darker sequences.
Audio: How does it sound?
This release has a Dolby Digital 5.1 track included, but I wouldn’t say it is a powerhouse, by any means. The surrounds are not silent or anything, but this option lacks the drive and punch we’d expect, if this were a more recent picture. Still, the elements are handled well and in a natural fashion, so there’s no unneeded surround use, which is good. The dialogue is clean and crisp throughout, no real problems to report in the end here. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround track, as well as English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes three theatrical trailers for the film, as well as a brief behind the scenes featurette.
