“Expendable. You know what that means.”
They Were Expendable is a fine war film, made more interesting by the fact that both John Ford and Robert Montgomery both served their country in WWII. The movie is a fine film and some consider it to be one of Ford’s best.
Lieutenant John “Brick” Brickley (Robert Montgomery) and Lieutenant “Rusty” Ryan are giving a demonstration of Patrol Torpedo boats in Manila Bay for the brass. They want to show them what the boats can do so that they can be more useful in the war. The brass is not impressed. The boys are obviously let down and go to the bar to attend the retirement party of Doc (Jack Pennick – familiar face to you Ford fans).
They decide to turn the radio off, but we know that something important was about to be announced. Rusty is disappointed that the brass don’t see the use for the PT boats and is writing his transfer papers for a destroyer. Soon someone runs into the bar and announces that Pearl Harbor has been bombed by the Japanese. Needless to say, Rusty tears up his papers. Brick and Rusty are itching to get their PT boats in the water to gun for the Japanese, but not orders are imminent. The commander does throw them a bone and lets them patrol the harbor.
The PT boat’s crew include Mulcahey (Ward Bond) and Cross (Cameron Mitchell) to name the two actors I recognized. The base is attacked by a Japanese squadron and in the melee Rusty’s hand is injured. He’s sent to hospital, against his wishes, at Corregidor. There he meets Nurse Sandy Davys (Donna Reed) and romance blossoms. In one of the film’s more humorous moments she dines with the officers and produces a string of pearls to wear around her neck.
PT boat in action
Brick bangs his foot on the floor and they’re serenaded by several of the crew who have laid in wait under the hut where they’re eating. The boys are given a secret mission and are surprised to see that they will be escorting General Douglas MacArthur off of Corregidor. Some more missions later and several of the crew are dead and they hear the tragic news that the Japanese have overrun Bataan. Brick and Rusty are boarding the officer’s plane to return to the states, but what will happen to the non-officers? Were they expendable?
Both Ford and Montgomery use their war experience in the film. Robert Montgomery served in the Navy and served aboard PT boats. Ford was in the Naval Reserves and occasionally cruised around in his yacht, the Araner, keeping an eye out for a potential Japanese invasion by sea. Perhaps his greater service was the head of a special film unit in the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.), a precursor to the C.I.A. He made many wartime documentaries including “The Battle of Midway” and “December the 7th.” He filmed in the Pacific, Burma, India, and at Normandy.
Today’s jaded audiences may not cotton to the obvious “rally round the flag boys” attitude that the film has. However, Ford was playing to wartime audiences and they wanted to be made to feel better about their boys who were facing uncertain fates overseas. Although the boys left behind seem to bravely meet their fates for flag and country, Ford’s film still has some sense of doom. You know the boys who watch the last plane, carrying Brick and Rusty, are going to die. Another touching scene involves the cook, who is on the lookout for the good ship Arizona to come into harbor with guns blazing and drive back the “Japs.”
We and Brick know the fate of the Arizona but the poor seaman still has his hopes and Brick chooses not to immediately dash those hopes. Ford also chooses to throw in some familiar touches such as the serenade and when the old boat yard owner chooses to stay behind and defend his land “Red River Valley” swells on the soundtrack.
They Were Expendable is presented in fullscreen as it was originally shown. The only special feature is the theatrical trailer. I could be wrong, but I suspect that this disc is the exact same disc that Warner Brothers released in 2000 but repackaged. The print did not look as good to me as The Long Voyage Home and it occasionally has some “jumps” in the picture. It’s a shame that a re-master was not done to this film (if it was, I’m thinking the elements must be in bad shape).
Last plane out
This is a fine war picture and fans of those, Ford, or the Duke will enjoy it. If you own the old disc, I’m not sure that you’ll want to buy this new version. If you buy the Ford/Wayne box set, you’ll get it anyway.
They Were Expendable is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information. The film is also part of the John Wayne/John Ford Film Collection now on DVD and available at Amazon . Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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