They Were Expendable (1945)
3 out of 5 stars
Not exactly what I expected from a Ford/Wayne film. Not sure why Donna Reed even bothered to appear in it.
Filmed during WWII, but released after the war ended. I just didn’t connect with the characters. I need to find a better or different film to get a feel for our fight in the Pacific (outside of Pearl Harbor films).
It felt war weary, although it was about the Battle of the Philippines early in WWII.
Similar to The Desert Fox, the musical score made heavy uses of the Navy Song “Anchors Aweigh” and the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” I did tear up when I heard “Taps” played on a harmonica for a slap-dash funeral of two crewman of Wayne’s destroyed PT boat.
