None But the Brave (1965)

Directed by

Frank Sinatra

Genre

drama film, war film

Country

Italy, United States

Runtime

1h 47m

Rated

NR

Rating

6.4 of 10 from 36 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

During the Pacific War, two platoons of American Marines and Imperial Japanese soldiers are stranded on the same uninhabited island. They must work together to survive despite being enemies.

tensegrimearnestslow-burnbleakhumanistrestrainedsuspenseful

What happens

None but the Brave  is a 1965 anti-war film produced and directed by Frank Sinatra from a screenplay by John Twist and Katsuya Susaki. The film stars Sinatra, Clint Walker, Tommy Sands, Brad Dexter, Tony Bill, and Sammy Jackson as U.S. Marines, and Tatsuya Mihashi, Takeshi Kato, Homare Suguro, Hisao Dazai, Kenji Sahara, and Mashahiko Tanimura as Imperial Japanese soldiers. Stranded on the same uninhabited island during the Pacific War, the two opposing platoons are forced to cooperate to survive. The film was the first American-Japanese co-production to be shot in the United States, and Sinatra's sole directorial effort. Japanese co-producer Kikumaru Okuda conceived the story. Raoul Walsh, who initially planned to direct, collaborated with Twist on the script before selling it to Sinatra in late 1963. Principal photography commenced in April 1964 on the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi, and wrapped that June at Warner Bros. Studios Burbank, with a $4 million budget. While Sinatra directed most scenes, Kazuo Inoue helmed those featuring only the Japanese cast. During a filming break, Sinatra was saved from drowning by co-star Dexter, enabling production to proceed as scheduled. Special effects, directed by Eiji Tsuburaya, were shot between May and August 1964. John Williams composed the score, with Kenjiro Hirose advising on Japanese music. None but the Brave was released in Japan on January 15, 1965, and throughout the United States in February 1965, to mixed reviews. Critics were divided over Sinatra's direction, the screenplay, and performances; Sinatra's performance, the Japanese cast, cinematography, special effects, and musical score received praise, while Sands' acting drew criticism. It was among the highest-grossing films of 1965, culminating $2.5 million in North American distributor rentals. In recent years, None but the Brave has been critically re-evaluated and noted as an anti-war film predating late 1960s counterculture cinema. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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