Tonight's Movie: So Proudly We Hail! (1943) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

In my opinion the two greatest films set during World War II combat are John Ford's THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (1945) and SO PROUDLY WE HAIL! (1943), directed by Mark Sandrich.

SO PROUDLY WE HAIL! has just been released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber and I truly cannot recommend it highly enough.

There isn't a false note in this film, thanks to the Oscar-nominated screenplay by Allan Scott and the fine acting company led by Claudette Colbert and Oscar-nominated Paulette Goddard.

The movie also features Veronica Lake's finest performance. The deep ensemble cast also includes George Reeves, Sonny Tufts, Barbara Britton, Lorna Gray (aka Adrian Booth), Ann Doran, John Litel, James Bell, Mary Treen, and Walter Abel.

The movie follows a group of nurses serving on Bataan and Corregidor. Colbert and Goddard fall in love with soldiers played by Reeves and Tufts, but their romances are secondary to the depiction of the extremely tough conditions faced by nurses and soldiers alike. Bombings and strafings, lack of food and supplies, unsanitary conditions, injuries, and fear of capture by the Japanese all take their toll.

It's particularly remarkable that this frank film came out in the fall of 1943, when the outcome of the war was far from certain. The film isn't graphic, but it also doesn't pull any punches, with some profoundly disturbing sequences. One wishes that modern filmmakers could learn the lesson that "less is much more" from a film such as this one.

As I noted in my original 2011 review of this movie, given the tough subject matter I'm grateful that the film is told in flashback, so that the viewer knows at least some of the characters who will survive. Otherwise the tension would have been unbearable.

The scene where Goddard evacuates Corregidor made a huge impression on me on my first viewing, and it broke me again this time around, as she gives a helpless little wave to the injured men unable to be moved. It's a fine moment for an actress whose acting was sometimes underrated.

Indeed, everyone in the film is excellent, and Lake would have been as deserving as Goddard of an Oscar nomination; I should include Colbert in that as well. She's such a natural pro that she makes it look easy while being front and center for the majority of the movie.

I was also struck on this viewing by what a nice job George Reeves does. The maturity he conveys is a big part of making the viewer believe his romance with Colbert, despite the face there was over a decade's difference in their ages in real life.

Although I've described the film as tough and frank, it's also an incredibly compelling 126 minutes, and it's the kind of rich, memorable viewing experience which leaves one better for having seen it. I recommend it most highly.

The Oscar-nominated black and white cinematography was by Charles Lang, with a score by Miklos Rozsa.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray looks and sounds excellent; the print is from a new 2K master. Extras are the trailer, a gallery of eight additional trailers, and a commentary track by Julie Kirgo. I've enjoyed Kirgo's commentary work in the past and am glad to see her name turn up in connection with a Kino Lorber Blu-ray.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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