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Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

Approved | | Action, Drama, War | 1 March 1950 (USA)
Sands of Iwo Jima Poster
A dramatization of the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (screenplay) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
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Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
Pfc. Al Thomas
Wally Cassell ...
Pfc. Benny Regazzi
...
Pfc. Charlie Bass
...
Pfc. 'Handsome' Dan Shipley
...
Cpl. Robert Dunne / Narrator
...
Mary
James Holden ...
Pfc. Soames
...
Pfc. George Hellenpolis
...
Pfc. Frank Flynn
...
Pfc. Eddie Flynn (as Bill Murphy)
George Tyne ...
Pfc. Harris
Hal Baylor ...
Pvt. 'Sky' Choynski (as Hal Fieberling)
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

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. Written by Alfred Jingle

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

battle | sergeant | combat | tarawa | heroic military | See All (40) »

Taglines:

A great human story... makes a mighty motion picture. A Great Human Story... Makes A Mighty Motion Picture. See more »

Genres:

Action | Drama | War | Romance

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

1 March 1950 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Du warst unser Kamerad  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

(RCA Sound System)

Color:

(archive footage)|

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two thousand U.S. Marines appeared as extras, according to an article in The Los Angeles Daily News. See more »

Goofs

When the Marines are moving up the mountain along a path, a Japanese soldier pops out of hiding and appears to shoot one of the Marines in the stomach at point blank range. One can see that the enemy soldier actor shot just beyond the Marine actor because a puff of smoke from the gun barrel emits out past the Marine actor's back. This was probably a safety requirement in the making of the movie, since blanks fired out of a weapon can seriously injure or kill. See more »

Quotes

[During live fire training a Marine recruit accidently lets a grenade slip out of his hand and it rolls toward an unsuspecting platoon waiting their turn]
Sgt. Stryker: Grenade. Hit the deck.
[the platoon runs, except for Conway, who is reading a love letter and has to be tackled to safety by Stryker when the grenade goes off]
Sgt. Stryker: You idiot. When are you gonna wake up? You wanna see that dame again, keep your mind on your work.
Al Thomas: You may not know this, boy, but you just got your life saved.
See more »

Crazy Credits

Opening credits Historical note- The first American flag was raised on Mount Suribachi by the late Sgt. 'Ernest I. Thomas, Jr.', U.S.M.C. on the morning of February 23,1945. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Ban the Sadist Videos! (2005) See more »

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User Reviews

 
A brilliant performance by John Wayne
4 May 2001 | by (NY) – See all my reviews

This is a fantastic World War II film from Hollywood's golden era. While the movie would have been amazing without him, the Duke really makes this movie stellar. His brilliant performance as Stryker won him an Academy Award nomination, one of only two during his entire career.

Whether you're a John Wayne fan, or just want to see an exciting, touching, and often humorous movie, this is a great one. I fully recommend "Sands of Iwo Jima" to everyone. This is a definite must-see! Watch and enjoy!
17 of 27 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?
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Pacific vs ETO war: jdemech02
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