MacArthur (1977)

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers:

Hal Barwood (written by) &
Matthew Robbins (written by)

Release Date:

July 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Daring, Defiant, Brilliant, Stubborn, Gallant, Glory-Hungry, Cold, Compassionate, Idolized, Despised, War-Lover, War-Hater, Supreme Commander, Supreme Egotist, Husband, Father. MacArthur.

Plot:

The story of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander during World War II and United Nations Commander for the Korean War...

Plot Keywords:

Korean War | General | Military | Douglas Macarthur | WWII

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Ivan Bonar	...	Lt. Gen. Richard K. Sutherland
Ward Costello	...	Gen. George C. Marshall
Nicolas Coster	...	Colonel Sidney Huff - MacArthur's aide
Marj Dusay	...	Mrs. Jean MacArthur
Ed Flanders	...	President Harry S. Truman
Art Fleming	...	The Secretary
Russell Johnson	...	Adm. Ernest J. King (as Russell D. Johnson)
Sandy Kenyon	...	Maj. Gen. / Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright
Robert Mandan	...	Rep. Martin
Allan Miller	...	Col. Legrande A. Diller (MacArthur's aide)
Dan O'Herlihy	...	President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dick O'Neill	...	Col. Courtney Whitney (Intelligence Officer)
Addison Powell	...	Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz
Tom Rosqui	...	Gen. Sampson

Also Known As:

MacArthur, the Rebel General (UK)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

West Germany:16 | UK:PG | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Alverno Villa, Sierra Madre, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

At the start of filming, Gregory Peck disliked Gen. Douglas MacArthur. After filming he changed his mind, understanding the challenges MacArthur had faced.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the exterior shot of the airplane flying MacArthur to Hawaii, the side of the airplane reads "UNITED STATES AIR FORCE". The U.S. Air Force was not created until after the war, in 1947.

Quotes:

President Harry S. Truman: Look at him, he's not in uniform, he's in costume.

Movie Connections:

Features Winchester '73 (1950)

MacArthur is much more interesting than your usual military hero and Gregory Peck played the part perfectly.

Unlike Patton, Pershing, Grant or Eisenhower, MacArthur is a many sided character and Peck played the part as I believe MacArthur really was. The positive PR version produced by the U.S. Army in the l940's or the negative liberal press version of the l950's are very limited in their understanding of this great man. I have always believed that MacArthur was a turn of the century progressive much like Teddy Roosevelt, at the same time both imperial and caring, who lived past his time into the l960's. His tactical decisions were unmatched by any general in our history. His speeches rival those of William Jennings Bryan or Patrick Henry and I'm sure many wish we could send him and his administrative skills to Iraq to put that mess back together. In the years since his death a small cult has grown up around his memory much like Robert E.Lee and to some his words are almost mystical. He was a major player in one way or another in WWI, the depression, WWII, Korea and if you count his death-bed plea to President Johnson to get our troops out of Vietnam, even the Vietnam War. If you want to stretch things even farther, he can be tied to turn of the century imperialism and the Spanish-American War through his part in the Philippine Insurrection following the Spanish-American War and if you must, the Indian Wars which he experienced as a small boy with his parents. He has been described as a conservative, a liberal, a militant and a pacifist. How could one man be so much a part of the 19th century and believe in war only between individuals(like Custer and Crazy Horse) or as in feudal times yet advocate A-bombing China? He is always described as arrogant and overly dramatic but like Grant he wore a simple 2nd Lieutenant's uniform with five stars on the shoulder minus all the medals that the "G.I. generals" wore. I believe his love for the people of Asia was sincere and in this was he was like Alexander or Caesar. We are fortunate Gregory Peck did play MacArthur as such a complex individual. To focus only on the Five-Star General with the corn-cob pipe is to miss the the big picture. No wonder Patton is so easy to watch compared to MacArthur. I have seen the movie at least 15 times and am still moved by it.