They Were Expendable (1945), starring John Wayne, Donna Reed, and Robert Montgomery, is one of the 1001 classic movies you should see.
Each Monday, I'm going to recommend a classic movie you should see (for the reasons behind the 1001 series and reviews of earlier films covered go here). Aug read more
4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on Jul 27, 2015
There’s nothing very intriguing about a film entitled They Were Expendable. In essence, we already know what the conclusion of the film is, however it is important to understand the context of when this John Ford World War II docudrama was coming out. In 1945 the Nazis and Japanese had finall read more
4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on Jul 27, 2015
There’s nothing very intriguing about a film entitled They Were Expendable. In essence, we already know what the conclusion of the film is, however it is important to understand the context of when this John Ford World War II docudrama was coming out. In 1945 the Nazis and Japanese had finally read more
They Were Expendable Directed by John Ford Written by Frank Wead from the book by William L. White Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer First viewing/Netflix rental This be the verse you ‘grave for me: / Here he lies where he long’d to be; / Home is the sailor, home from the sea, / And the hunte read more
They Were Expendable tells the story of a PT boat squadron, who feel left out of the war. PT boats are small and not long-range like carriers, and as such, were not used initially in important missions. This film centers on a squadron leader, Robert Montgomery, trying to prove the usefulness of hi read more
TSPDT Greatest Films #451 They Were Expendable (John Ford, 1945)
During the Pacific War, John Ford wanted to support the troops with the one thing he mastered the best; filmmaking. He got in the Pacific Islands with color films to shot the battles of the US Navy. The ended up being the documentar read more
They Were Expendable has a gradual pace. Not knowing the film’s subject matter–just genre–going in, it all unfolded quite deliberately in front of me. The opening is a PT boat exercise. The film’s special effects are spectacular; it’s impossible to tell what’s an read more
