John Ford's World War II documentary
Susan Burneson
I am looking for information about the existence of a film or
transcript produced by famous Hollywood director John Ford. Ford
served in the Navy during World War II and produced several films for
the OSS. I have information about one he produced called Nuremberg,
about the Nazi War Crimes -- but I am looking for one he supposedly
produced on the effects of the war experience on veterans. According
to the person who told me about this, the footage he compiled was so
disturbing, because the veterans were so deeply affected by their
experience, the film was never completed. Has anyone heard of this
film? I have also looked in a large library here in Austin and
researched books on John Ford, and none of them mention this film.
Sincerely,
Susan Burneson
C. L. Waltemath
In article <4uuouj$r...@gap.cco.caltech.edu>, Susan Burneson <nim...@onr.com>
wrote:
John Ford was on Midway in June 1942 and recorded on film the Japanese air
attack on the island. This might not be much of a film record of the
battle as that raid was only a small part of the Midway engagement.
--
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It doesn't take all kinds, there simply are all kinds. (Churchill)
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C. L. Waltemath
Portland, Oregon
Peter Reiher
In article <4uuouj$r...@gap.cco.caltech.edu> Susan Burneson <nim...@onr.com> writes:
>
>I am looking for information about the existence of a film or
>transcript produced by famous Hollywood director John Ford. Ford
>served in the Navy during World War II and produced several films for
>the OSS. I have information about one he produced called Nuremberg,
>about the Nazi War Crimes -- but I am looking for one he supposedly
>produced on the effects of the war experience on veterans. According
>to the person who told me about this, the footage he compiled was so
>disturbing, because the veterans were so deeply affected by their
>experience, the film was never completed. Has anyone heard of this
>film? I have also looked in a large library here in Austin and
>researched books on John Ford, and none of them mention this film.
Ford produced several documentaries during WWII, including the Academy
Award winning "Battle of Midway" (vastly overrated, but if you turn off
the idiotic soundtrack you do get to see real footage of the island
being bombed), "December 7th" (existant in two version - a shorter release
version that includes recreated model footage of the the attack, and
a longer version that also includes a lengthy prelude with Walter Huston
as Uncle Sam vacationing in Hawaii on December 6th, and a ridiculous
epilog with Dana Andrews as a dead sailor walking through Arlington
Cemetary with the ghost of a Revolutionary War soldier, using an
incredibly drawn-out baseball metaphor for the ongoing war), "Sex Hygeine"
(America's greatest director shoots footage of diseased penises), and
a short, rarely shown silent documentary on the men of one of the torpedo
squadrons that was almost entirely destroyed in the Battle of Midway.
The latter wasn't made for release, but for the families of the dead
airmen. It consists almost entirely of shots of the young men next to
their planes, and title cards indicating their fate. Simple, yet moving.
It's titled "Torpedo Squadron."
Ford did not produce a documentary on Nuremberg, nor did he direct
a documentary on the affects of the war on veterans. Chances are you're
thinking of "Let There Be Light," one of John Huston's wartime documentaries.
Huston also did the great "Battle of San Pietro" and the less screened
"Report From the Aleutians."
Huston, Ford, and Frank Capra (who did the "Why We Fight" series) were the
best known of the US documentarians of WWII. George Stevens also worked
a little in this area, and produced some color footage of the war in
Europe. You can see some of it in the documentary "George Stevens: A
Filmmaker's Journey."
Slightly off topic, Ford later directed a pretty good documentary on
the Korean War ("This Is Korea") and produced (but did not direct) an
acceptable documentary on the Vietnam War ("Vietnam! Vietnam!"). Ford
was active throughout his life in the Navy Reserve. I believe he retired
as a reserve admiral, but maybe he only made captain. Throughout his life,
well into the 1970s, he would annually run Memorial Day ceremonies for
veterans at a retirement home for film industry members in the San Fernando
Valley, bringing with him whatever celebrities and members of his production
team that he could round up. There's some existing footage of one of these
ceremonies from the late 60s.
--
Peter Reiher
rei...@wells.cs.ucla.edu
<http://ficus-www.cs.ucla.edu/project-members/reiher>
DvdThomas
It's possible that you're referring to a film done by John Huston about
the taking of an Italian town named San Pietro (?). It was very graphic,
showing Americans being shot down as they advanced through an orchard, and
scenes of the dead and grieving civilians in the town. He did it to show
how awful war is, and the brass agreed, deciding it might lower the morale
of new troops, so it was shelved for many years. He finally succeeded in
obtaining it in the 1980's and it ran on PBS a few times. Sobering,
disturbing work. The only thing that makes me say Huston instead of Ford
is remembering the narrator's distinctive voic. At least I think I do,
memory becomes increasingly unreliable with time.
David Thomas
_________________________________________________________
"Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt."
- Clarence Darrow
David Thomas
CODOH (http://www.codoh.com/)
Hans Kristian Ruud
In <4vco9d$k...@nntp5.u.washington.edu>, DvdThomas writes:
> It's possible that you're referring to a film done by John Huston about
> the taking of an Italian town named San Pietro (?). It was very graphic,
> showing Americans being shot down as they advanced through an orchard, and
> scenes of the dead and grieving civilians in the town. He did it to show
> how awful war is, and the brass agreed, deciding it might lower the morale
> of new troops, so it was shelved for many years. He finally succeeded in
> obtaining it in the 1980's and it ran on PBS a few times. Sobering,
> disturbing work.
According to the series "Hollywood goes to war" (hosted by Frank Capra Jr.),
there was some concern that the movie was to grim, General Marshall ordered
that it should be shown to ALL new troops.
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