Director's movie

Rating: Null/10 (25 December 2003)

The movie is real art,a true classic.While some classic movies convey,directly or indirectly, a message,this movie,like true art, has none. I find it to be a director's movie,weaving together romance,violence,passion,humor,human endurance,coalescing towards the attack on Pearl Harbor. Among the numerous talents involved in making the film,I cannot single out any particular role,except for the director,Fred Zinneman,and the casting director-just watch the company segeant,in army khakis,and you say to yourself he must have been groomed by his parents since early childhood for his military role.Burt Lancaster is indeed unforgettable as Warden. Other salient performances are Philip Ober as Captain Holmes,the antithesis of military leadership,and Montegomery Clift,an early method actor,playing the undrdog,a perrenial loser. As to the famous beach scene,I tried to analyze where its power and intensity come from.I believe it is an example of superb directing,using the viewers prior knowledge of plot and characters,with the beach scene being the tip of an emotional iceberg,possibly similar to Alfred Hitchcock's approach toward thrill. Time did to this movie what it does to good wine,enhance its flavor and enjoyment.