If you were to ask me who was the better actor -- Gregory Peck or George C. Scott -- I would answer without pause, Gregory Peck. Scott was a fine actor, but he did not have the breath of roles that Peck did. Romance, Westerns, suspense, light comedy, drama, and more. I can't think of a time that Gregory Peck let an audience down, except perhaps with this film. But think back of George C. Scott and his thrilling performance as Patton! No such brilliance here.
The cinematography is drab, dull, and monotonous. Even worse is the makeup; in fact, it should have won an Academy Award for the worst makeup in any major in American cinema history. Much of the script plods along. The only real excitement here is the rivalry between MacArthur and president Harry Truman.
And the cast is pretty dull, too. Gregory Peck is a reasonable actor to play MacArthur. Ed Flanders...good, but not a powerhouse...plays Harry Truman. Dan O'Herlihy...also good, but no powerhouse...is good as President Franklin D. Roosevelt. But that's all the notable cast.
Because I like history and am older, I am somewhat familiar with the MacArthur story (and by the way, this film does not delineate MacArthur's early years at all), but if I was not familiar with it, and I watched this film, I would wonder what all the fuss was about.
Not recommended unless, perhaps, you are a military man yourself.
The cinematography is drab, dull, and monotonous. Even worse is the makeup; in fact, it should have won an Academy Award for the worst makeup in any major in American cinema history. Much of the script plods along. The only real excitement here is the rivalry between MacArthur and president Harry Truman.
And the cast is pretty dull, too. Gregory Peck is a reasonable actor to play MacArthur. Ed Flanders...good, but not a powerhouse...plays Harry Truman. Dan O'Herlihy...also good, but no powerhouse...is good as President Franklin D. Roosevelt. But that's all the notable cast.
Because I like history and am older, I am somewhat familiar with the MacArthur story (and by the way, this film does not delineate MacArthur's early years at all), but if I was not familiar with it, and I watched this film, I would wonder what all the fuss was about.
Not recommended unless, perhaps, you are a military man yourself.