Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea. —Henry Fielding

04 October 2020

Ernie Pyle's Story of G.I. Joe (1945)

I dunno. William A. Wellman's Story of G.I. Joe sort of felt generic to me, perhaps because it isn't really a narrative and is more interested in Pyle's own stories. In other words, this is a film much more interested in the men who fight and their experiences of daily agony and exhaustion than it really is in telling any kind of story. Now, I wouldn't normally mind that, but Wellman's film tries to make this into a story anyway. It succeeds somewhat, and I loved all of the main characters. Robert Mitchum is excellent throughout, and is actually the lead actor of this movie despite Burgess Meredith's top billing. 

Meredith, incidentally, is referred to throughout as old, and he sports an almost completely bald head and gray hair while telling everyone he is 43. I'm only 39, but I can tell you right now that I have no intention of looking that old in my early 40s. 

In any case, this has some good moments, but it's not that interesting. I did love the dog.

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