IMDb > In Harm's Way (1965)
In Harm's Way
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In Harm's Way (1965) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   2,997 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

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Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

James Bassett (novel)
Wendell Mayes (writer)

Contact:

View company contact information for In Harm's Way on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

6 April 1965 (USA) more

Genre:

Drama | War more

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. full summary | full synopsis

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win more

NewsDesk:

70Mm Todd A-o Film Festival To Be Held In Germany, October 2-4
 (From CinemaRetro. 7 September 2009, 8:27 PM, PDT)

User Comments:

Wayne in Command more (87 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:

165 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

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

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA more


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

According to John Huston's autobiography, this is the movie that nearly drove Tom Tryon out of the acting business. He had heard rumors of Otto Preminger's demanding nature, and was understandably nervous. Preminger saw this, and instead of trying to reassure the agitated Tryon, first chewed him out for his fears in front of other cast members, then walked behind him and screamed "RELAX!" in his ear. Tryon reportedly almost quit that day, but castmates talked him out of it. more

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. more

Quotes:

Clayton Canfil, Australian Coastwatcher: There's a way to find out what the Japs are up to; but I'll have to do it myself. I used to run a plantation on Gavabutu; I know that island like the back of my hand. Have one of your subs put me ashore there and in two weeks, I'll be able to tell you just what our little yellow brothers are up to.
Rear Admiral Rock Torrey: All right, Mr. Canfil; but be careful, we can't afford to lose you.
Clayton Canfil, Australian Coastwatcher: [Grinning] I'm not planning on getting lost, Admiral.
more

Movie Connections:

Edited into Bass on Titles (1977) more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
15 out of 24 people found the following comment useful.
Wayne in Command, 30 July 2002
Author: gvb0907 from Falls Church, Virginia

John Wayne spent much of his later career foolishly playing much younger characters (e.g. "McQ" or "Brannigan") or indulging in clearly conscious self-parodies such as "True Grit." Most of his roles in the 60s and 70s were unworthy of his talents, but in 1964 he turned in one of his finest performances in Otto Preminger's "In Harms Way." His portrayal of Captain (later Rear Admiral) Rockwell Torrey saves an elaborate war film and shows that the Duke was a very capable actor.

Wayne will always be remembered as an action hero - riding, brawling, and shooting his way across the screen, stopping now and then for a drink or, less often, a kiss. But in this film, there are no horses, his one brawl is verbal, and he doesn't even carry a gun. Shorn of his usual props and plot devices, Wayne has no choice but to act and he delivers an extremely effective performance. He commands, he counsels, and in his own understated way, he loves. The picture's soap opera structure actually works to his advantage, giving him many opportunities to show different sides of his character's personality and to interact with almost every other performer in the film.

The rest of the huge cast is generally strong. Patricia Neal is fine as Wayne's romantic interest, playing a nurse who, as she says, is not a lady; Kirk Douglas is a bit overbearing at times as his exec, but then the role calls for it; Dana Andrews has one of his few good mature roles as the overly cautious Admiral Broderick. Everyone is up to the task but it's Wayne who carries the picture.

"In Harm's Way" is a heavily fictionalized account of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent campaign to take and hold Guadalcanal. Although the story owes more to the source novel than to real history, the tone of the film reasonably reflects the anxieties and uncertainties the Navy faced during the first year of the Pacific War.

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