Product: MacArthur (1977)
Rating: 5.0
Every bit as great a movie as 'Patton', but lamentably unknown.
"MacArthur" is a thundering triumph of a film, much as MacArthur was as a man. Released in 2001 by Universal Studios, "MacArthur" is 2 hours and 10 minutes in length, and stars Gregory Peck as the heroic, egotistical, and brilliant General of the Army and Medal of Honor recipient Douglas MacArthur. Peck's performance of his role as the great General is not just an ordinary role in an ordinary movie- it is the performance of a career, of a lifetime. It is some of the best acting I have ever seen. And its not just Peck, though he could have easily carried the entire film by himself. MacArthur, with his love of dramatics and delight in being the center of everything, knew no other way. Director Joseph Sargent did a superb job, especially with the aid of the magnificent Jerry Goldsmith as the designer of the movie's soundtrack. Compared with the books on MacArthur such as "American Caesar", "MacArthur" is very short and devoid of many details. But to make a movie that truly told the story of Douglas MacArthur from beginning to end, you'd have to make a series of four-hour films, not just one that runs half of that. Sargent compressed the story of MacArthur's career from before Bataan to after Korea very well.MacArthur was outrageously egotistical and dramatic, always wanting to put on a show when he could have done what most people would have called the more sensible or practical thing to do. On one occasion in the film, a GI warns him to stay down while he is visiting a frontline area, noting that his unit had killed several Japanese snipers nearby not long ago. Not disturbed in the slightest, MacArthur nods approvingly and says, "That's the best thing to do with them!" During the siege of Bataan, he was seen more than once calmly watching the Japanese planes attacking- standing outside the bunkers. This film deserves the same recognition 'Patton' enjoys, and I confidently rank George C. Scott's performance in that film and Gregory Peck's in this one on the same level. MacArthur was a man who could turn the making of a cup of coffee into an epic saga worth writing a play about, and this movie captures that part of him superbly. It depicts his brilliance, his total disregard for the danger the enemy posed, his colossal ego and his incredible skill as a strategist and as a leader. All those remarkable traits build him into a five star general and Medal of Honor recipient as the film goes on, until his becomes this unstoppable force that bowls over the Joint Chiefs, the Red Chinese and North Koreans, anyone who gets in his way. Until he meets with Harry Truman, played by yet another superb actor, Ed Flanders, who when learning of the General's flaunting his authority and destroying his attempts to establish a cease fire with the Chinese with a ludicrously arrogant ultimatum, declares, "I'm gonna fire his insubordinate *** right now!" MacArthur, a man who had gotten used to having his way, had finally run into someone who was as stubborn as he was. Relieved of command, he returns to the United States, received by an enraptured and joyous American public. At the conclusion of the film, Peck makes a stunning rendition of MacArthur's "Duty, Honor, Country" speech that is every bit as good as the version done by the General himself.To anyone who is interested in learning about one of West Point's most distinguished graduates, a man whose incredible brilliance, unparalleled strategic skill, unquestionable courage and colossal ego made and ended his career, I highly recommend "MacArthur". It is truly lamentable that this film is not anywhere near as famous as it should be.