This biography is a one-sided love affair with General Douglas Macarthur. I'm no admirer of the General, so my appraisal of the film might seem a bit skewed. However, I watched it trying to understand the reasons behind the well-known stories of the man. He was known as an arrogant headline seeker. His battles with Adm Chester Nimitz over the Pacific strategy were mostly designed to enhance his share of the glory from the battles in that theater. At least, that is what I have read over and over again. He even insisted that his own wife call him "General", which is portrayed in the film. But the film answered none of my questions about what made him tick. In fact, it is so shallow that there are now more questions than there were before I watched it. The film's basic beginning is after WW2 has begun. His childhood and Army career prior to that point are completely ignored. The Pacific war is boiled down to only his return to the Philippines. Korea is covered in less than 30 minutes and that was his downfall, albeit not militarily. The film answers no questions about who this man was. I was hoping to come out of the film with an appreciation of the General, but I learned absolutely nothing about him. Indeed, there is so little character deveolpment that President Truman is made to be the "heavy" in his relieving MacArthur of his duties in Korea. Too bad. This could have been a great film. Instead it's nothing more than a wasted opportunity.
