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Rating:  -
A classic match up of John Wayne, Kirk Douglas with a five star supporting cast. This, and the action a suspence of the early days of World War Two, make it unforgetable.
Rating:  -
***1/2 1965. This film was based on James Bassett's Harm's Way. Produced and directed by Otto Preminger. Academy award nomination in the Best B&W Cinematography category. The movie depicts, from the Navy point of view or, rather, from the point of view of some Navy officers of the Pacific coast, the American reaction after Pearl Harbor. As other reviewers have made mention of it, it's evident that Otto Preminger wasn't that interested in filming sea battles, he only presented on the screen what his characters could see from their positions. Preminger was more interested in depicting the behaviour of his characters caught in a crisis. Let's also note the general sexual tension described by IN HARM'S WAY, from the lascivious dance of Barbara Bouchet, who became a few years later Italy's most known starlet, during the first minutes of the film to the close-up of Kirk Douglas's face before assaulting Jill Exodus Haworth. Recommended.
Rating:  -
I have to agree with most of the one and two-star reviews. This movie came to my attention as I was looking up Doug Stanton's excellent WWII book "In Harm's Way," which is not at all related. There's talk about making Stanton's book into a movie; that would really be something, as there is drama galore in the story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis!
This 1965 star-packed, epic movie surprised me in a lot of ways, most of them bad. I was watching lots of movies in the 60's and I don't remember seeing this one, so I wonder if that means it flopped even back then or did I somehow just miss it? At best this is a so-called B movie, though with all the stars in the cast I can't imagine it was low budget.
The characters, the dialogue, the story, and even the acting are all very wooden. Dramatic events don't seem dramatic; the characters seem to be going through the motions. Even the battle scenes are lackluster. Sadly, the most exciting scene in the Pearl Harbor attack is a car crash. You will not see any ships sunk or even hit, but you will see sailors receiving refreshing splashes of water from "near misses." The other funny thing about the air attacks is that there are lots of explosions but no planes. The sea battles are a little better; at least the mines, shells, and torpedoes hit actual targets. But the models for the ships look too much like bathtub toys.
The role played by Kirk Douglas, Captain Eddington, is odd. He's a very capable officer and Admiral Torrey's (John Wayne) most trusted man, yet he gets into a lot of petty trouble. But then, inexplicably, he gets into some real trouble when he rapes an ensign nurse on a public beach with lots of people on the other side of a sand dune.
There are many Soap Opera elements to this movie, and if you go in expecting and wanting that, then this movie is okay. The made-up names of the South Pacific islands for "Operation Skyhook" are quite amusing, too.
Rating: -
War in the Pacific. War situations. Friendship vs duty, and love all rolled up in one well written and acted movie. A powerhouse cast. Another satifying John Wayne WWII movie.....
Rating: -
In Harm's way is a rather interesting WWII film, to say the least. Released in 1965 but done in Black-&-White, the movie has a feel and look of a film much older. Although the beginning uses the historical bombing of Pearl Harbor as it's catalyst it is a fictional story.
Based on the bestselling novel by James Bassett, "In Harm's Way" follows a group of Navel officers and nurses in the early years of the war. Although the movie follows the book well it does tend to short-cut the plot somewhat. John Wayne plays Captain Rockwell (Rock) Torrey who is relieved of his command of his cruiser for taking two torpedos while ignoring standard navel "zig-zagging" policy. He ends up in a dead-end job of routing convoys. The story takes him from dispair to redemption as he earns a promotion to Rear Admiral and is assigned to take over a stalled offensive in the South Pacific. Although this is considered a "War" film it's really more about the characters and how they overcome their situations. Director Otto Preminger takes the time to develop all the main roles into very complex people.
What makes this movie great is the cast. Besides Wayne, Kirk Douglas plays Paul Eddington, a navel officer with many demons to overcome. The resolution of his character is very surprising for a 1965 film. Patricia Neal plays Maggie, a nurse who becomes involved with Rock and helps him overcome his dispair. Brandon de Wilde (Shane) plays the son Rock abandoned at age 4 who is now an Ensign in the Navy. Other notable actors: Burgess Meredith, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentess, Carroll O'Conner, George Kennedy, and in a small role, Henry Fonda.
What makes me rate this as four stars instead of five is the special effects. Even for 1965 some of the explosions and models look very fake. It's a small distraction while watching an exciting and/or intense scene, but it's there none-the-less. Although the attack on Pearl Harbor is done well and looks realistic, the final navel battle between Torrey's ships and the Japanese fleet is actually extremely unrealistic and fake looking. Again, even for 1965 standards. That is the only issue I have with "In Harm's Way."
But if you can get past the average special effects like I did you will find a great movie. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a strong storyline with great acting. In my opinion it's one of the top 10 WWII movies of all time!
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starring: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss
directed by: Otto Preminger
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Paramount
EAN: 9780792172505
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 0792172507
Label: Paramount
Manufacturer: Paramount
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Paramount
Region Code: 1
Release Date: May 22, 2001
Running Time: 167 minutes
Studio: Paramount
Theatrical Release Date: April 06, 1965
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