Wake Island

Brian Donlevy Director: John Farrow John Farrow

Overview

Experience the harrowing true-life tale of a group of U.S. Marines who beat the odds to momentarily stave off a Japanese attack on the remote outpost of Wake Island during World War II in Universal Studio's release of this classic war drama. Presented in 1.33:1 full-frame and offering audio rendered in closed-captioned English Dolby Digital Mono with optional French and Spanish subtitles, this release also offers a theatrical trailer for the feature.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/25/2004
UPC:	0025192501821
Original Release:	1942
Rating:	NR
Source:	Universal Studios
Region Code:	1
Time:	1:28:00
Sales rank:	16,907

Special Features

Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Brian Donlevy	Maj. Caton
Robert Preston	Joe Doyle
MacDonald Carey	Lt. Cameron
Albert Dekker	Shad McCloskey
Barbara Britton	Sally Cameron
William Bendix	Smacksie Randall
Mikhail Rasumny	Probenzki
Walter Abel	Commander Roberts
Damian O'Flynn	Capt. Patrick
Bill Goodwin	Sgt. Higbee
Phillip Terry	Private Warren
Don Castle	Private Cunkle
Rod Cameron	Capt. Lewis
Frank Albertson	Johnny Rudd
Holly Bane	1st Lieutenant
Hugh Beaumont	Captain
Hillary Brooke	Actor
James Brown	Wounded Marine
Jack Chapin	Squeaky Simpkins
Dane Clark	Marine
Angel Cruz	Rodrigo
Edward Earle	Commander
Frank Faylen	Wounded Marine
Mary Field	Miss Pringle
William Forrest	Maj. Johnson
Alan Hale	Sight Setter
Richard Loo	Mr. Saburo Kurusu
Patti McCarty	Girls at Inn
Ivan Miller	Colonel
Jack Mulhall	Dr. Parkman
Anthony Nace	Gordon
George Nielson	Charles Trowbridge
Keith Richards	Sparks Wilcox
Willard Robertson	Col. Cameron
Rudy Robles	Triunfo
John Sheehan	Pete Hogan
Mary Thomas	Cynthia Caton
Charles Trowbridge	George Nielson
Philip Van Zandt	Cpl. Goebbels
Marvin Jones	Tommy

Technical Credits

W.R. Burnett

Frank R. Butler

John Farrow	Director
Frank Bracht	Editor
W.R. Burnett	Screenwriter
Frank R. Butler	Screenwriter
David Buttolph	Score Composer
Hans Dreier	Art Director
Earl Hedrick	Art Director
William C. Mellor	Cinematographer
Joseph Sistrom	Producer
Theodor Sparkuhl	Cinematographer
LeRoy Stone	Editor

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Aloha (Main Titles) [5:02]
2. The Honeymoon's Over [4:51]
3. A Friendly Wager [5:41]
4. No Brig Here [5:25]
5. Japanese Envoy [4:44]
6. Pearl Harbor Attacked [6:18]
7. Air Raid on Wake [6:51]
8. A Thorough Job [3:41]
9. Back in Uniform [5:58]
10. An Old Chinese Trick [5:37]
11. Open Fire [5:21]
12. Bombing Mission [5:07]
13. Cut Down [2:38]
14. Still Holding [4:04]
15. Calm Before the Storm [3:55]
16. Come and Get Us [5:47]
17. Landing Parties [2:53]
18. Not the End [3:38]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Scenes
   Languages
      Captioned for the Hearing Impaired: English
      Subtitles: Español
      Subtitles: Français
      Subtitles: None
   Trailer
   Play

Editorial Reviews

A tremendous financial and critical success in its time, Wake Island is a fine and effective war movie. The passage of time has rendered it more valuable as an example of well-wrought propaganda than of a great drama. There are almost no grays in Wake Island; practically everything is set out in clear, black-and-white terms. This helps to make it a rousing adventure, but it also makes it more than a little manipulative, a fact that is brought home on repeated viewings. Still, John Farrow directs with a great deal of energy, imbuing the film with tautness and tension, staging the battles scenes with remarkable effectiveness. He's also good at helping keep the various members of the cast identifiable with distinct character traits that border on caricature but don't too often cross the line. Brian Donlevy does a fine job as the glue which holds the film (and the men) together; he gets especially fine support from Robert Preston and William Bendix, who display real chemistry in their scenes together. Modern audiences won't get the same punch from Wake Island as did those in 1942, but fans of war films will definitely want to catch it.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler