Film and Radio Guide (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

44 FILM AND RADIO GUIDE Volume XII, No. of rescue. The story ends with the coming of searching planes. As in Lifeboat, we see human beings reacting in different ways to the slow closing in of fate. We sense the anxiety, the loneliness, and the horror that increase as time goes on. Grim but not excessive realism marks the entire series of ocean scenes. Through the medium of flashbacks the picture broadens, and little by little tells the entire story of Eddie Rickenbacker’s life up to the time when he set out for the Pacific. We see him as a small boy making a clumsy “flying machine” and all but killing himself, and then, a little later, riding as a passenger in one of the first crude biplanes. We see him with some of the first hard-tired “horseless carriages” that frighten horses on the highways and leave many persons skeptical of their value. We catch glimpses of his exploits as an automobile racer, and as combat pilot in World War I. In addition to the Pacific story and the life-narrative, we see intimate moments in the boyhood home and in the days of courtship and marriage, all presented so appealingly that they emphasize substantial values and at the same time have motionpicture interest and humor. As Eddie Rickenbacker, Fred IMacMurray plays with dignity as well as high spirit and creates a pleasing sense of reality. As “Adelaide Frost,” who became Mrs. Eddie Rickenbacker, Lynn Bari brings to the picture colorful and lovely romance. The photographic effects, notably that of catching a seagull, are managed with superb skill. PRIDE OF THE MARINES. Warner Bros. Romance and rehabilitation. Delmar Daves, Director. Strongly recommended. To millions of homes in the United States and elsewhere at the present time comes the problem of rehabilitation. At best the transition from the enforced savageries of war is difficult. For the broken, the maimed, the blinded the transition is peculiarly difficult. Those who return from active service, and those who welcome them at home, need strong minds and stout hearts in order to bridge the psychological chasms made by war. Pride of the Marines, based upon a recently published book by Roger Butterfield, puts into motion-picture story form the case of a blinded soldier, fresh from the horrors of .iungle fighting in the Solomon Islands. The various episodes show the returning soldier’s desperate realization of his own shattered condition, and likewise how love, tact, and the opportunities that society offers for the aid of the injured, combine to restore a man to useful and happy life in normal surroundings. The high purpose of this motion picture does not obtrude itself upon the observer. Story interest remains supreme throughout. Nevertheless, anyone who sees Pride of the Marines certainly will think sympathetically concerning the care of men injured in the war. John Garfield plays a highspirited young man who goes with the United States Marines to fight in the heat and tangles of Pacific islands. Eleanor Parker plays the girl whom he leaves behind. Blinded in battle, the young man hesitates to return and be, perhaps, a burden upon those who love him. Through a Red Cross Nurse, and the devotion of his sweetheart, he turns at last toward happiness. Several moments of strong suspense, one without sound, and one without even pictures, add to the value of the production. With a running time of 119 minutes, the picture story makes full use of opportunities for the slow development of powerful effect. BACK TO BATAAN. Guerrilla war in the Philippines. RKO. Edward Dmytryk, Director. Recommended for all. The devotion of Philippine natives to the cause of liberty gains strong emphasis in RKO’s new story of jungle fighting. Back to Bataan. John Wayne plays the part of a United States Colonel assigned to lead Philippine guerrillas in harassing Japanese invaders, organizing resistance and preparing for American landing and attack. Beulah Bondi, exotic in appearance and effective in character presentation, carries the role of a cultured Philippine woman who pretends to serve the Japanese while actually aiding the people of her islands. Every principal event of the motion-picture story rests upon historic fact. The aid of Army officers and others familiar with the events gives further verisimilitude. In effect. Back to Bataan is an intensely interesting chapter of recent Philippine and United States history. Scenes in which Japanese officers and men appear have great force, and show much concerning Japanese mannerisms and military methods. Assigned to what at first appears to be an almost hopeless task, that of leading native guerrillas against great numbers of well-equipped Japanese, the hero of the story makes his way into mountain jungles and there gathers about him a pitiable band of patriotic fighters armed with few weapons other than bolos. From a rural school the American officer takes a native boy and a devoted American teacher. The story of the lad’s self-sacrificing faithfulness brings in a deep note of pathos.