So Proudly We Hail

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Paramount's So Proudly We Hail, like MGM's Cry Havoc, is a tribute to the Red Cross nurses trapped behind enemy lines in the early days of the Pacific war. Claudette Colbert is the self-sacrificing head nurse, struggling to minister to the wounded and to keep her staff (including Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake and Barbara Britton, all of them giving better than usual performances) from buckling under the pressure. Taking into consideration the regular fans of the film's female cast, the producers thoughtfully include several scenes in which the ladies pursue their romantic lives. The story culminates with the fall of Bataan, ending on a resigned but optimistic note; this finale was designed to lift the spirits of the audience, which in 1943 wasn't so certain as Hollywood of final victory. So Proudly We Hail was not only effective propaganda (though not as effective as Cry Havoc), but it also enabled Paramount to introduce its new crop of male hunks--including the estimable Sonny Tufts. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Subtitle: Eng/Fre
• Audio: DDM2.0
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Screen: Pan and Scan
• Features:
  • Exclusive Introduction by Turner Classic Movies Host and Film Historian Robert Osborne, Theatrical Trailer.

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Black and White Cinematography - 1943 (Charles B. Lang)
•     Nominated Best Original Screenplay - 1943 (Allan Scott)
•     Nominated Best Special Effects - 1943 (Gordon Jennings, Farciot Edouart, George Dutton)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 1943 (Paulette Goddard)

• Film Daily

•     Won 10 Best Films - 1943

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Claudette Colbert - Lt. Janet Davidson
       Paulette Goddard - Lt. Joan O'Doul
       Veronica Lake - Lt. Olivia D'Arcy
       George Reeves - Lt. John Summers
       Barbara Britton - Lt. Rosemary Larson
       Sonny Tufts - Kansas
       Mary Servoss - Capt. "Ma" McGregor
       Ted Hecht - Dr. Jose Bardia
       Dick Hogan - Flight Lt. Archie McGregor
       James Bell - Col. White
       Lorna Gray - Lt. Tony Dacolli
       Dorothy Adams - Lt. Irma Emerson
       Kitty Kelly - Lt. Ethel Armstrong
       Bill Goodwin - Capt. O'Rourke
       Mary Treen - Lt. Sadie Schwartz
       Helen Lynd - Lt. Elsie Bollenbacher
       Jean Willes - Lt. Carol Johnson
       Jan Wiley - Lt. Lynne Hopkins
       Lynn Walker - Lt. Fay Leonard
       William Forrest - Major
       James Flavin - Capt. O'Brien
       Byron Foulger - Mr. Larson
       Richard Crane - Georgie Larson
       Elsa Janssen - Mrs. Larson
       James Millican - Young ensign
       Victor Kilian - Corporal
       Damian O'Flynn - 1st young doctor
       Frances Morris - Nurse
       Mimi Doyle - Nurse
       Julia Faye - Nurse
       Isabel Cooper - Filipino Nurse
       Ann Doran - Lt. Betty Peterson

• Director:

  Mark Sandrich

• Producer:

  Mark Sandrich

• Screenwriter:

  Allan G. Scott

• Cinematographer:

  Charles B. Lang

• Songwriter:

  Edward Heyman

• Composer (Music Score):

  Miklos Rozsa

• Songwriter:

  Miklos Rozsa, Edward Hayman

• Editor:

  Ellsworth Hoagland

• Art Director:

  Hans Dreier, Earl Hedrick

• Set Designer:

  Stephen Seymour

• Special Effects:

  Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings, George Dutton

REVIEW:

• So Proudly We Hail! is a moving, stirring, and powerful World War II film, and unusual (although not unique) in the emphasis it places on the role of women during the war. Because of that focus -- and because of the stars cast in the leading female roles -- Hail features a good deal more romance than most war films, but it does not stint on the action. Indeed, the battle sequences are among the finest put on the screen during the time, with special effects work that is exemplary. More importantly, Hail doesn't glamorize the war; the fighting is painful and the consequences of the war are in plain sight. Occasionally, Hailfalls prey to a little flag waving where some restraint would have produced better drama, and there are occasional slurs from the period (though not as many as in other war films of the period), and So Proudly We Hail! could stand to lose a few minutes here and there. But these flaws in its writing and pacing are very slight; indeed, director Mark Sandrich turns in some of his very finest work here. He draws an exceptional performance from Paulette Goddard, plays to the very considerable strengths of the always winning Claudette Colbert, produces fine work from Veronica Lake, and gives George Reeves a chance to really shine. Even Sonny Tufts comes across as an actor rather than a pretty boy. Throw in some magnificent Charles B. Lang lensing, and the result is a top-drawer picture that packs plenty of punch. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi