Report from the Aleutians

Report from the Aleutians (1943)

*** (out of 4)

John Huston directed and narrates this Academy Award winning documentary that takes a look at the American troops who went up to protect Alaska during WWII so that it wouldn't be open to attack from the Japanese. Frank Capra, William Wyler, John Ford and many other legendary directors made these documentaries during WWII but of all I've seen (and I've seen most) it was Huston who really delivered something different. He made a handful of these documentaries and they were all quite different from others and I'd say that if you know his reputation then you'd understand why. Huston was always known for being a man's man as he loved to fight, drink, have a good time and live adventure. His documentaries were so different from the others because he seemed to focus in on things that the others wouldn't dare do. Apparently the U.S. government objected to some of the stuff he shot here but the director stood by his guns and these scenes are actually the most entertaining in the movie. These scenes involved showing what the soldiers were doing when not on actual duty. This includes them shaving, cleaning their pots and pans and just wrestling around in front of the camera. It's really these scenes here that give you a great idea of what it was like out in the field and we get to see things that other directors often didn't show. Most of the time it was just about rules, bravery and the actual combat footage but Huston goes an extra mile and gives you a complete idea of the scene. Most of the action comes at the very end as we see some combat missions with the B-17s.

Director John Huston, while a member of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1943, creates an Academy Award winning documentary, which he narrates with assistance from his actor father Walter, treating of the Armed Forces' successful effort to prevent the fall of the Aleutian Islands to advancing Japanese troops who had captured several islets. Although no claim can be reasonably made that this location was of major strategic importance during the War, it presented enormous tactical and logistic difficulty for those assigned there, and Huston's color film demonstrates the determined ensemble work upon the outpost of Adak by a wide range of military specialists who combat loneliness and boredom along with notably severe weather conditions. The work was made over a six month period, and is climaxed by the preparations for, followed by an actual filming of, a bombing run over Japanese-occupied Kiska, wherein Huston nearly lost his life, and which is significant for its combat footage and for the atmosphere of suspense present in the viewer who wonders if all will return safely.

Probably the only production that you will ever see that got filmed on the Aleutian Islands, John Huston's Academy Award-nominated "Report from the Aleutians" looks at the day-to-day lives of the troops stationed on said islands during World War II. There's little footage of the planes going into combat; it's all about the men in uniform and what they do while in service.

Obviously the documentary is propaganda. If we're going to defend that, then it's only because in World War II, we went after the country that attacked us, rather than mire ourselves in a fruitless occupation of an unrelated country, resulting in thousands killed (yeah, I'm still pointing that out).

Whatever the case, there are some great shots of the islands, with ample narration by Huston and his dad. I bet that the two of them had a lot of fun making this. No doubt Huston had a lot of stories to tell Humphrey Bogart upon returning to Hollywood.

John Huston directed, wrote, and narrated this documentary about this lesser known part of the WWII Pacific theater. It's in color. Japan had invaded Alaska. It's a long range battle as these two military forces launch air raids and fight over these remote islands. This is an important witness to those events since there isn't that much visual from this long ranging faraway battle.

If there is an issue, it is the lack of bang bang footage. This part of the war doesn't have much close combat. A lot of the film are the preparations and sparse bases in empty landscapes. It does close with a bombing run and that's very compelling footage.

During the war, Hollywood became an official propaganda arm of the US government. This unusual relationship meant that Hollywood could use its money and expertise to make high quality films...much higher than the military itself could normally make. That's why the likes of John Ford and Frank Capra made documentaries...very good ones at that. In the case of "Report from the Aleutians", the young but very successful John Huston helmed this project.

The film is about a portion of WWII that few would remember today. Believe it or not, war DID affect Alaska and some tough battles between Japanese and American troops occurred. This coincided, at times, with the attack on Midway Island....as the Aleutian attack was meant as a diversion...one that ultimately failed.

Using excellent footage of the day, nice narration (by the director's father, Walter) and an overall high quality of the project make this one worth seeing...especially if you are a history lover like me.