A group of nurses returning from the war in the Philippines recall their experiences in combat and in love.A group of nurses returning from the war in the Philippines recall their experiences in combat and in love.A group of nurses returning from the war in the Philippines recall their experiences in combat and in love.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 4 wins & 5 nominations total
- Ling Chee
- (as Dr. Hugh Ho Chang)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
This one details (in flashbacks) the daily ordeals of a company of Red Cross nurses serving in Bataan and Corregidor during WWII. For a change, Paulette Goddard plays the nurse with most of the male admirers (Sonny Tufts in particular), with Veronica Lake showing up late in a decidedly unsexy role (about which I can't say much more than that, lest I ruin it for you). Both offer up career performances, if that's saying much. Their leader, durable talent Claudette Colbert, holds the troop together throughout, despite numerous tragedies. Helping to prop *her* up is her persistent suitor George Reeves (later of the TV series, "Superman"). Interesting for the fact that it was shot while the war was still raging ~ so there are a lot of decidedly non-PC references to "Japs" ~ but this is a real salute to the unsung women who served in "the big one." A must-rent.
4 Stars.
It's still pretty impressive, although some of the flag-waving gets a little heavy and the suds flow pretty freely when the nurses discover romance. Claudette Colbert leads the pack of nurses with a nobility only Claudette could demonstrate--and sincerity. In lesser roles, Veronica Lake and Paulette Goddard acquit themselves well, with Goddard receiving a Supporting Actress nomination.
Sonny Tufts achieved instant popularity with his role as the bumbling Kansas and George Reeves had one of the best roles of his career as Colbert's love interest.
What makes the film remarkable for its time is the way it handles all of the action sequences--and there are plenty of them. The explosions don't look as if they're happening on a studio set but in the jungles and terrain of the story--and they're mighty effective in their realism, something even today's audiences can appreciate.
On the debit side, the story is a little overlong and the flashback technique might not appeal to everyone. Still, it has holding power and is an example of one of the finer films of the period to deal with the role of women during World War II.
Some reviewers here have called it "propaganda," but it is hardly that in the context of the time. I was actually quite surprised by its even-handedness. (Yes, there are non-PC references to "Japs," as with every other American war movie of the era.) Disregard any disparaging critiques posted here and SEE THIS FILM.
Did you know
- TriviaIn keeping with Army regulations, Veronica Lake (Lt. Olivia D'Arcy) changed her famous "peek-a-boo" hairstyle. She only let her hair down once, in her final scene. Later she cut it with much publicity, because women who copied her and worked in factories kept getting their hair caught in the machinery.
- GoofsIn late 1941, Kansas jokes that he decided to join the Marines because his football team "wrecked" Army's team, which would imply that the game he was talking about occurred in the Fall of 1941. He earlier claims his team also beat Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish were undefeated in 1941.
- Quotes
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy: Stop prying into things that don't concern you.
Lt. Janet 'Davy' Davidson: Maybe it does concern me. It concerns me that the morale of this group remains high. Until you joined up, it was. You're just a troublemaker. I-I don't really care what's bothering you at all. I don't like you any more than the rest of the girls do.
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy: I'm supposed to be a nurse and that's all.
Lt. Janet 'Davy' Davidson: No. There's more than that now that we're at war. Maybe you don't know what's up. Maybe you don't know what we're doing here.
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy: You think I don't know. All right, I'll tell you. I know what I'm doing, I know why I'm here. I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to kill Japs.
[stands up]
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy: Every blood-stained one I can get my hands on!
Lt. Janet 'Davy' Davidson: [hushed] Olivia!
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy: That doesn't sound nice coming from a nurse, does it? We're supposed to be angels of mercy, we're supposed to tend to the wounded and take care of the sick. We're supposed to be kind and tender and serve humanity in the name of humanity. What humanity? Jap humanity?
Lt. Janet 'Davy' Davidson: Olivia, be quiet!
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy: No, you asked me, you wanted to know, you pried into things that didn't concern you.You wanted to know that this is - look! Look at that!
[opens a locket Davidson was asking about]
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy: Do you know what it is? I'll tell you, it's a boy.
[door opens, two other girls look in]
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy: Come in, both of you, you wanted to know too. Today is Christmas, isn't it? The time for cheer and good fellowship, and for peace. Well, today's my wedding day.
[holds out locket]
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy: You see that? He and I were to be married today, in Saint Louis. And why weren't we? Because he's dead. He died that first morning. They killed him. I saw him. He was running across the field to his plane and they killed him. Sixty bullets - sixty! By the time I got to him he was dead. His face was gone - I couldn't see him any more. Just blood - blood all over!
[bursts into tears]
Lt. Janet 'Davy' Davidson: [rushes to her side] Oh, Olivia!
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy: Let me go. Let me go. They must be punished, and I'm going to punish them! He was dead. It was ended for him...
[cries]
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy: I wanted him... He was all I had... I loved him so much...
- ConnectionsFeatured in Desperate Housewives: There's Something About a War (2006)
- SoundtracksThe Star Spangled Banner
(1814) (uncredited)
Music by John Stafford Smith
In the score during the opening credits
Details
- Runtime
- 2h 6m(126 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1