MARINE RAIDERS is a rather ordinary example of the type of war film that Hollywood turned out in the period 1943-44, as movie makers had more opportunities to see actual combat film footage and to avail themselves of the experiences of combat veterans. RKO apparently developed the opportunity to film scenes of U.S. Marines training at newly established bases in southern California and built a story around the "glamour" of the new Marine Raider and Marine Parachute battalions that fought on Guadalcanal. There are only two major combat sequences -- a facsimile of the Battle of Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal in September, 1942, that opens the movie, and the concluding sequence based on the Bougainville landing in November, 1943. The combat scenes (except for a brief air attack sequence) were filmed in the studio, skillfully mixing staged shots with miniatures and actual combat footage. If they remind you of film noir, remember that RKO pioneered in the style because the shadowy lighting could hide, somewhat, the cheapness of the sets and special effects.
The script is conventional and not well-focused. We're supposed to believe that Lockhart (Pat O'Brien) and Craig (Robert Ryan) are old friends, but there's no indication of that early in the film, at least until Craig starts to lose his command composure after one of his officers is tortured and mutilated by the Japanese. Later in the film, the higher-ranking Lockhart officially intervenes to prevent Craig from marrying an Australian woman (Ruth Hussey) he's only just met. That act, of course, creates the tension between Lockhart and Craig that the film tries to sustain until the concluding combat sequence. Craig's "hatred" for the Japanese, which is supposed to make him a liability for a command, is never really explored. Given the general high level of anti-Japanese feeling engendered in most Hollywood movies of this era (as opposed to strong anti-Nazi -- rather than anti-German -- feeling displayed in the same years), Ryan's "hatred" doesn't seem especially unusual. It's more a MacGuffin than an engaging character development.
Likewise, the relationship between Craig and Ellen is a little difficult to believe. Certainly there were many whirlwind courtships and short engagements among World War II servicemen, but here are two fairly mature adults who decide to marry within 24 hours of first meeting. I didn't buy it, nor did I buy the rapid reunion later in the film.
There are some out-of-the-ordinary moments in MARINE RAIDERS. In the middle of the film is an air-raid sequence that features some very complex shots -- Craig and Ellen sheltering in a shallow trench, as an antiaircraft gun blazes away behind them, and fighter planes take off over the gun, zooming toward the camera as bombs burst around them. These must have been difficult to pull off, and they are striking compared to the rather pedestrian combat sequences in the rest of the film.
It's also interesting to see at least a little attention paid to wartime women as more than just attractive movie props. At one point, Craig counsels another Marine -- reluctant to marry while the war is still going on -- to remember that "the girls are in this war too" and that he should consider his fiancée's needs. There is a brief comic sequence involving Women Marines. And Ellen's closing speech, which could have been echoed by millions of Allied women of that time, is genuinely moving.
In sum: Essential if you're a war movie buff, but even for such fans like me, its a mediocre film of the genre.
P.S.: Ironically, for all the ink and celluloid they generated early in the war, the newly formed U.S. Marine Raider and Parachute battalions were not popular with Marine brass, who wanted to build large, division-sized formations to crush the big Pacific targets instead of pricking them with hit-and-run raids. The "Paramarines" never made a combat jump during the war (despite what one sees in this movie) and were disbanded in December 1943. The four Marine Raider battalions were disbanded in January 1944, about six months before this film was released. Their officers and men would continue to fight in other Marine units, however, and the Raider's enviable combat legacy -- Tulagi and Guadalcanal, Makin, New Georgia, Choiseul, Bougainville -- remains a proud chapter of USMC lore.
The script is conventional and not well-focused. We're supposed to believe that Lockhart (Pat O'Brien) and Craig (Robert Ryan) are old friends, but there's no indication of that early in the film, at least until Craig starts to lose his command composure after one of his officers is tortured and mutilated by the Japanese. Later in the film, the higher-ranking Lockhart officially intervenes to prevent Craig from marrying an Australian woman (Ruth Hussey) he's only just met. That act, of course, creates the tension between Lockhart and Craig that the film tries to sustain until the concluding combat sequence. Craig's "hatred" for the Japanese, which is supposed to make him a liability for a command, is never really explored. Given the general high level of anti-Japanese feeling engendered in most Hollywood movies of this era (as opposed to strong anti-Nazi -- rather than anti-German -- feeling displayed in the same years), Ryan's "hatred" doesn't seem especially unusual. It's more a MacGuffin than an engaging character development.
Likewise, the relationship between Craig and Ellen is a little difficult to believe. Certainly there were many whirlwind courtships and short engagements among World War II servicemen, but here are two fairly mature adults who decide to marry within 24 hours of first meeting. I didn't buy it, nor did I buy the rapid reunion later in the film.
There are some out-of-the-ordinary moments in MARINE RAIDERS. In the middle of the film is an air-raid sequence that features some very complex shots -- Craig and Ellen sheltering in a shallow trench, as an antiaircraft gun blazes away behind them, and fighter planes take off over the gun, zooming toward the camera as bombs burst around them. These must have been difficult to pull off, and they are striking compared to the rather pedestrian combat sequences in the rest of the film.
It's also interesting to see at least a little attention paid to wartime women as more than just attractive movie props. At one point, Craig counsels another Marine -- reluctant to marry while the war is still going on -- to remember that "the girls are in this war too" and that he should consider his fiancée's needs. There is a brief comic sequence involving Women Marines. And Ellen's closing speech, which could have been echoed by millions of Allied women of that time, is genuinely moving.
In sum: Essential if you're a war movie buff, but even for such fans like me, its a mediocre film of the genre.
P.S.: Ironically, for all the ink and celluloid they generated early in the war, the newly formed U.S. Marine Raider and Parachute battalions were not popular with Marine brass, who wanted to build large, division-sized formations to crush the big Pacific targets instead of pricking them with hit-and-run raids. The "Paramarines" never made a combat jump during the war (despite what one sees in this movie) and were disbanded in December 1943. The four Marine Raider battalions were disbanded in January 1944, about six months before this film was released. Their officers and men would continue to fight in other Marine units, however, and the Raider's enviable combat legacy -- Tulagi and Guadalcanal, Makin, New Georgia, Choiseul, Bougainville -- remains a proud chapter of USMC lore.