Reviews

The strengths of SO PROUDLY WE HAIL (1943) are found more in its form rather than the content of its characters. The main area where it differs from John Wayne-style WWII lip service is its predominantly female cast. All the American flag waving of the Forties is still here in full force, but the patriotic propaganda of the Office of War Information (OWI) is interestingly mingled with a Hollywood "love your man" plot.

Our girls can stick it to the enemy while still standing by their men! Goddard flirts with several officers while Colbert carries on a romance with George Reeves (Superman!) and Lake fosters a blind hatred for the Japanese due to her husband's death at Pearl Harbor, which prompts her to tuck a grenade in her bustier and march into a group of Japanese soldiers with a *BANG* early on in the film. Even with all the romance our girls still occasionally find time to do some nursing, which usually consists of them sitting (and sometimes standing) around sighing and telling us and each other about how hard it is to be a nurse. And just in case we don't understand what it means to be a patriot we are given several speeches on the topic, all delivered by our girls in perfect makeup and hair, with nary a lock out of place (ironic for Lake). Now, I do believe that it is hard to be a nurse, but the film would be greatly improved by showing us more of their hard work. Film, after all, is a visual medium.

That said, the Oscar® nominations for Best Black and White Cinematography and Best Special Effects were definitely deserved. Unlike most WWII propaganda pieces this one hardly ever looks as if it was shot on some cheap Hollywood back lot. Pay particular attention to the scenery; there is an ever-present atmosphere of smoke and shadow that makes this film worth watching. And the explosions are often genuinely powerful and impressive, if you're into that sort of thing.

I personally enjoyed the many montage sequences and the scene where all the girls are sitting around a table in Corregidor and an American food advertisement (for fresh pineapples or something like that) comes on the radio, effectively putting the battle conditions of daily bombings in sharp contrast with the more domestic concerns "back home".

SO PROUDLY WE HAIL offers precious little criticism of war and presents the Japanese as a faceless enemy worthy only of death and American hatred. The Hollywood love plot is sufficiently cheesy enough to be almost unintentionally satirical, but if you want to view a film with more substance then check out THE STORY OF G.I. JOE (1943).

War shouldn't ever evoke pride or be hailed. 2/5.

"Superman says YOU can slap a Jap . . . with war bonds and stamps!"