Enjoyable , agreeable movie depicting lives of three Marines in San Francisco during World War II. Frankie O'Neill (Robert Wagner) visits his poor and troublesome family ; Nico Kantaylis (Jeffrey Hunter) learns his lovely , pure-hearted girlfriend (Hope Lange) is pregnant ; and the upper-class Alan Newcombe visits his father and high-living , socialite girlfriend (Dana Wynter) . Soon after , O'Neill drowns his troubles in alcohol and along with a friend Lorraine (Sheree North) , losing the respect of his potential lover ; Kantaylis marries his fiancée ; while Alan leaves his socialite and drunk girlfriend for a Hawaiian nurse , Kalai (France Nuyen) . The coming battle results to be a dangerous and nearly impossible assignment in a strongly armed Japanese position at an isolated island . Love-Hungry Youth amid the fires of war. THE ONE TRULY GREAT STORY OF THE U. S. MARINES!
This dramatic film in Soap Opera style dealing with unresolved love stories , concerning the family lives of three San Francisco Marines affected by their personal experiences on the front lines in the Pacific and vice-versa, along the way , each must decide whether to make the best of his situation or break out of it . Marines life is narrated aboard a ship , en route through Pacific , by means of flashbacks , in with they reminisce about their love stories , including a dramatisation of the landings and battles in which heroic acts cost some of the Marines their lives . The movie utilizes an often-used plot of the war movie genre which has soldiers in love with the women , whose romances are broken due to WWII, while remembering their lives in flashbacks . Impressive and breathtaking final scenes when there takes place Japanese island invasion , including landing crafts , tanks , explosions and and fierce battles . The ending images and survival of some protagonists will determine the surprising denouement in which one comes together to her . Quartet protagonists are pretty good , Robert Wagner gives a restrained interpretation as a Marine who hides his lower-class dysfunctional family , Bradford Dillman as the enamored upper-class soldier who falls deeply with the beauteous France Nuyen and Jeffrey Hunter is nice as the upright and brave Sergeant . Support cast is frankly well , such as Sheree North , Mort Sahl, Harvey Stephens , James Best , Barry Brown and the little girl Veronica Cartwright , future passenger of Alien film.
It contains sensitive and evocative musical score by Hugo Friedhofer. Colorful cinematography in Technicolor by the splendid director of photography Leo Tover . Shot on location in California , the naval scenes were filmed at the former Long Beach Naval Shipyard at Terminal Island California, Monterey, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, Oakland, California, and at the Fox Studio back-lot . The motion picture was professional but slowly directed by Philip Dunne . He was an expert writer , getting some successes , such as Anne of the Indians , Sinuhé, the Egyptian , The Robe , Martin the Gaucho , Pinky , David and Betsabe , The Ghost and Mrs Muir , Demetrius and the Gladiators , Lydia Bailey . And he directed some movies as Blindfold , El inspector , Wild in the Country , 10, calle Frederick , Three Brave Men , Hilda Crane , The view from Pompey's Head.
