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July 21, 2010

Mr. Movie - The forgotten war

Anonymous ---- The Randolph Guide Wed Jul 21, 2010, 10:25 AM EDT

Unbelievably (to me, anyway) this year marks 60 years since the Korean War began in 1950. While nowhere near the fertile movie ground of WWII or Viet Nam, Korea did spawn a handful of excellent films.

M*A*S*H (1970) has a much darker, manic tone than the popular TV series it sired. Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman, Tom Skeritt, Gary Burghoff and Bud Cort were virtual unknowns. M*A*S*H is director Robert Altman’s breakthrough film, its bloody O.R. and irreverent wisecracks a microcosm of the war.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is a good political thriller that features heart-pounding suspense and some neat plot twists. Frank Sinatra is good as a government agent as is Angela Lansbury, uncharacteristically venomous.

Some wag has said Lawrence Harvey was typecast as an automaton, but he makes a good one. Harvey was a POW of the North Koreans, and they have tried to program him into the perfect killing machine. Can Sinatra reprogram him?

A James Michener story is the basis for Men Of The Fighting Lady (1954) with Van Johnson and Walter Pigeon. The Lady of the title is the aircraft carrier from which dangerous raids are launched into North Korea. The battle footage and special effects are so good that the Pentagon called Film Editor Gene Ruggiero on the carpet to explain how he got this footage. The answer was, standard war footage and painted backdrops, skillfully edited. It was good enough for the Pentagon and good enough for an Oscar, too.

Another Michener tale is the backbone of Sayonara (1957) which garnered Supporting Actor Oscars for Red Buttons and Miyoshi Umeki. Marlon Brando, James Garner and Martha Scott complete the cast of this tale of interracial love during the Korean War. Frankly, it’s a little dated, but has its moments.

The Steel Helmet (1951) was actually made during the Korean War. It is directed by a virtual unknown, Samuel Fuller, and the best known cast member is Steve Brodie. And yet, it probably comes about as close as any movie to showing what it was really like in Korea. This is a very good sleeper.

Pork Chop Hill (1959) was an actual place in Korea, and this fine movie portrays an American unit’s order to hold the hill against the advancing Chinese hordes at all cost. Gregory Peck heads a stellar cast that also features Rip Torn, George Peppard and Harry Guardino. Hard-hitting and authentic, is has a decidedly dark tone like most movies about the Korean War.

All are available on video. None are suitable for children under 12.

Rusty Hammond has been writing the Mr. Movie column since 1996. It appears in several newspapers in North Carolina.

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