In Harm's Way (1965)

Directed by

Otto Preminger

Genre

war film

Country

United States

Runtime

2h 45m

Rated

NR

Rating

6.6 of 10 from 162 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

The film follows several U.S. naval officers in Hawaii as World War II begins. It covers their personal and professional lives from the night before Pearl Harbor through the first year of American involvement.

epicromanticsomberbureaucratictensehistoricalsoberingsprawling

What happens

In Harm's Way is a 1965 American epic historical romantic war film produced and directed by Otto Preminger and starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, and Patricia Neal. The supporting cast featured Henry Fonda in a lengthy cameo, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Stanley Holloway, Burgess Meredith, Brandon deWilde, Jill Haworth, Dana Andrews, and Franchot Tone. Produced with Panavision motion picture equipment, it was one of the last black-and-white World War II epics, and Wayne's last black-and-white film. The screenplay was written by Wendell Mayes, based on the 1962 novel Harm's Way, by James Bassett. The setting of the film is the entry of the United States into World War II. It depicts the lives of several U.S. naval officers based in Hawaii and their wives or lovers. The title of the film comes from a quote from an American Revolutionary naval commander: I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm's way. The film presents a relatively unromantic picture of the U.S. Navy and its officers from the night of December 6, 1941, through the first year of the U.S. participation in World War II, complete with bureaucratic quarreling among the senior officers and sometimes disreputable private actions by individuals. Its sprawling narrative is typical of Preminger's works in which he examined institutions and the people who run them, such as the United States Congress and Presidency of the United States in Advise & Consent, the Catholic Church in The Cardinal, and the British Intelligence Service in The Human Factor. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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