Sands of Iwo Jima – 1949 – English – War
Sands of Iwo Jima – 1949 – English
War film directed in 1949 by Allan Dwan, and starring John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara, Forrest Tucker, Wally Cassell, James Brown, Richard Webb, Arthur Franz, Julie Bishop, James Holden, Richard Jaeckel, Bill Murphy, George Tyne, Hal Baylor, John McGuire, Martin Milner, Ira H. Hayes, Don Haggerty…
Synopsis: After his wife takes their son and leaves him, Sgt. John Stryker is an embittered man who takes his misery out on the men under his command. They’re a bunch of green recruits who have a hard time dealing with Stryker’s tough drills and thicker skin. Even his old friends start to wonder if he’s gone from being the epitome of a tough Marine Sergeant to a man over the edge.
Review: In the World War II, Sgt. John M. Stryker (John Wayne) is a tough, but fair leader of Marines. He trains his platoon and disembarks and fights with them in Pacific against the Japanese. Most of his men does not like him in the beginning, but they start to trust in his instructions and leadership along the battles. The climax of the story is the battle in Iwo Jima. This classic is a great action and dramatic movie of war, having a marvelous performance of John Wayne. The quality of image is excellent.
John Wayne should have won that Oscar for this. His portrayal of Sgt. John M. Stryker was one of the great acting performances of all time and Sands of Iwo Jima is one of the greatest movies of all time. He balanced the struggles of the Sergeant having to train soldiers to fight the most rugged terrains of the war and haunted by a wife who left him and a son he could not communicate with. John Agar and Forrest Tucker also gave great performances in their own battles with Stryker. Great to see James Brown from Rin Tin Tin fame and Julie Bishop who played with the greats from the silent era. Also very spirited performances by great character actor Wally Cassell and pin up beauty Adele Mara
Most importantly on this Memorial Day, we can look at Sands of Iwo Jima as a tribute to all our military heroes. From landing on beaches, fighting for higher ground, and raising of Old Glory, we can never forget the sacrifices they have made for us.