RELEASED IN 1965 and directed by Frank Sinatra, "None but the Brave" chronicles events on a small Pacific island during World War II where Japanese and American military personnel must make a temporary ceasefire and cooperate to survive. Clint Walker plays the captain-pilot while Sinatra plays his right-hand man and medic.
This was Sinatra's first and only official stab at directing a feature film, although he had practice with numerous movies beforehand without credit. It's the first American-Japanese co-production and perhaps the first American production to show the Japanese in a balanced, fairly positive light. It's more of a jungle drama than a conventional war flick, but there is quite a bit of war action, including the downbeat ending. It's mostly serious, but with whimsical, caricaturist elements.
Walker is great as the main protagonist while Tommy Sands (Sinatra's son-in-law) is notable as the gung-ho Marine Lieutenant. People complain about his over-the-top performance, but it's what Sinatra wanted and I'm pretty sure there were more than one green "butter bars" very similar to him in the USMC during WWII. Laraine Stephens has a glorified cameo.
THE FILM RUNS 106 minutes and was shot in Kaua'i, Hawaii. WRITERS: John Twist & Katsuya Susaki (script) and Kikumaru Okuda (story).
GRADE: B-
This was Sinatra's first and only official stab at directing a feature film, although he had practice with numerous movies beforehand without credit. It's the first American-Japanese co-production and perhaps the first American production to show the Japanese in a balanced, fairly positive light. It's more of a jungle drama than a conventional war flick, but there is quite a bit of war action, including the downbeat ending. It's mostly serious, but with whimsical, caricaturist elements.
Walker is great as the main protagonist while Tommy Sands (Sinatra's son-in-law) is notable as the gung-ho Marine Lieutenant. People complain about his over-the-top performance, but it's what Sinatra wanted and I'm pretty sure there were more than one green "butter bars" very similar to him in the USMC during WWII. Laraine Stephens has a glorified cameo.
THE FILM RUNS 106 minutes and was shot in Kaua'i, Hawaii. WRITERS: John Twist & Katsuya Susaki (script) and Kikumaru Okuda (story).
GRADE: B-