In Harm's Way (1965)

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

James Bassett (novel)
Wendell Mayes (writer)

Release Date:

6 April 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Stripped of everything - they lived and loved and fought as if there were no tomorrow...

Plot:

A naval officer reprimanded after Pearl Harbor is later promoted to rear admiral and gets a second chance to prove himself against the Japanese.

Plot Keywords:

Lincoln Continental | Face Slap | Airplane Theft | Erotic Dancing | Bar Fight

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

John Wayne	...	Capt. Rockwell Torrey
Kirk Douglas	...	Commander Paul Eddington Jr.
Patricia Neal	...	Lt. Maggie Haynes
Tom Tryon	...	Mac McConnell
Paula Prentiss	...	Beverly McConnell
Brandon De Wilde	...	Ens. Jeremiah 'Jere' Torrey
Jill Haworth	...	Ens. Annalee Dorne
Dana Andrews	...	Admiral Broderick
Stanley Holloway	...	Clayton Canfil
Burgess Meredith	...	Commander Egan Powell
Franchot Tone	...	Admiral Kimmel
Patrick O'Neal	...	Commander Neal Owynn
Carroll O'Connor	...	Lt. Commander Burke
Slim Pickens	...	C.P.O Culpepper
James Mitchum	...	Ensign Griggs

Runtime:

165 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Norway:16 | USA:Approved | West Germany:12 (f) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company:

Otto Preminger Films

Trivia:

John Wayne was suffering from lung cancer during filming and two months after he completed his part his entire left lung was removed.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: In the scene in the quonset hut when Admiral Torrey receives the phone call from Powell about Eddington's reconnaissance flight, the shadow of a mike boom can be seen on the wall to Torrey's left.

Quotes:

Admiral Nimitz: Indecision is a virus that can run through an army and destroy it's will to win. Or even to survive.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)

War done as melodrama

In Harm's Way (1965) - Director: Otto Preminger A more drama-driven war flick than most that focuses on how the war affected the personal lives of the men and women in and around Pearl Harbor before and after the infamous attack. John Wayne delivers one of his best performances as a Captain near the end of his career learning to communicate with a son (played by the ever young Brandon DeWildez) he's only recenlty reunited with, and handling a later-in -life romance with whiskey voiced Patricia Neal.

Kirk Douglas is around as a commander who just can't seem to get his personal life in order but who valiantly tries to redeem himself by heroically undertaking a no-win spy plane mission. Two old pros, Burgess Meredith and Dana Andrews fill out the major supporting roles while throw-away roles are notable for stars-of-tomorrows' Larry Hagman and Christopher George, to name a couple.

Quality melodrama with enough action to keep the guys interested and enough sexual tension to keep, well everybody interested. Oh and a personal favorite, unfortunately underused in the movie in the lovely heady shape of Paula Prentiss.