Film history isnt a highlight reel of universally agreedupon classics. Joe hasnt aged particularly well, focusing on generic dogfaces instead of legendary correspondent ernie pyle. Each action figure had different outfits, and equipment was sold separately. I was stunned by the power of this film, and surprised that it is not more highly touted by film historians and critics. He befriends several of the soldiers, including commanding officer lt. Chu and written by rhett reese and paul wernick, based on hasbros g. The rise of cobra, while also serving as a soft reboot of the franchise. It didnt take long for the toy to become a massive hit. Joe is a strong competitor with spielbergs acclaimed film for the title of greatestever war movie. Joe was based on the columns of scrippshoward war correspondent ernie pyle burgess meredith. The following is a segment from our criticallyacclaimed film gi joe. Several of the soldiers who appear in the film, along with ernie pyle himself, died in action before the story of g. With burgess meredith, robert mitchum, freddie steele. I happened upon the story of gi joe by chance, having no idea of its reputation or history.
Joe was released in 1964, and hasbro created characters for the four different branches of the u. Joe, which i had thought to be a biopic of renowned war correspondent ernie pyle. Mitchums performance made him a star and earned him an oscar nomination as best supporting actor, while the film was nominated for a total of four academy awards. War correspondent ernie pyle joins company c, 18th infantry as this american army unit fights its way across north africa in world war ii. Its probably the signature role of burgess merediths career aside from playing the penguin on the batman tv show and the film also marked the breakout of robert mitchum. Joe 1945 is at once an homage to ernie pyle 19001945. Its not about famed correspondent ernie pyle so much as seen through his eyes. Wellman, with burgess meredith, robert mitchum, freddie steele, at turner classic movies. Joe, easily the best film about world war ii made during the war, and one of the best american war movies of any era. Joe and his counterpart in the air, the navy, and the merchant marine of every one of the united nations. Joe 1945 is at once an homage to ernie pyle 19001945, who captured the american imagination with his gritty story of the livesand deathsof ordinary infantrymen, and to the men whose stories he told. But some chapters of the story draw more attention than others.
Sep 08, 2014 the following is a segment from our criticallyacclaimed film gi joe. Though its considered a seminal war film, the story of g. Theres a direct line to be drawn from ryan back to william a. This was heislers first of two features starring bogart, the other was chain lightning that also wrapped in 1949 but was held up in release until 1950. It was directed by william wellman who had been a pilot in the lafayette escadrille in wwi and at first refused to do a movie about the despised infantry until he met pyle and saw the adoration the infantry had for him. Walker robert mitchum in his breakthrough role, family man sgt. Set primarily in italy, the film follows a band of infantrymen and. The story is told through the words of war correspondent ernie pyle pulitzer prize winner, with dialogues and narration inspired by pyles articles. Ernie pyle was the most beloved war correspondent this nation has ever known. The nerveshatteringly realistic battle sequences bring to mind saving private ryan, and the story of g. This was the film that established him as one of the worlds biggest movie stars.
With burgess meredith, robert mitchum, freddie steele, wally cassell. Not to mention, having brilliantly constructed scenes. Not so very different in mood from the big red one, wellmans film about the wwii italian campaign not surprisingly won sam fullers nod of approval for its fe. Joe stands as a stirring tribute to those average soldiers who struggled to survive on the front lines of wwii. I admit i was confused about the premise of the story of g. April 20 release of son of lassie, the 2nd lassie film and the first film ever to be filmed using the technicolor monobook method, where a single magazine of film is. Aldrich clearly gleaned much from his experience as assistant director of one of the most heartfelt and powerful of wwii combat films, william wellmans sensitive. I love the infantry because they are the underdogs. Development for the first film began in 2003, but when the united states launched the invasion of iraq in march 2003, hasbro suggested adapting the transformers instead.
Although modern sources and some contemporary sources refer to the films title as the story of g. Despite having been made during the war, not a propaganda film. Based on the work of scrippshoward war correspondent ernie pyle, joe focuses on, as one character calls them, the lugs along for the ride, following. Apr 09, 2019 hasbro introduced government issue joe in 1964.
The original strategy called for a different figure for each branch of the military, but seizing on a 1945 film called the story of g. In 2009, the first film was released under the title, g. Gallery of 8 movie poster and cover images for story of g. Following barbies example, hasbro created multiple. Joe, which became synonymous with american soldiers during world. The working titles of this film were here is your war and story of g.
For todays war movie aficionado, the 1945 film offers nothing. Joe 1945, which is regarded by many critics as one of the best motion pictures about world war ii. I joe was a synonym for a grunt, a soldier, a general infantryman who was faceless and nameless yet fought back the axis powers in world war ii. Joe, originally released in the waning days of the war but only now seeing the light of day on video. He comes to know the soldiers and finds much human interest material for his readers back in the states. During ww2, pulitzer prize winner and war correspondent ernie pyle joins the army and writes articles about his comrades in his daily columns. The term itself comes from world war ii, where it was used as a shorthand symbol for the typical serviceman, or governmentissue joe. After searching for the best war films all my life, and after seeing so much tripe, i was completely flabbergasted by this film, of which i had heard, but had never. Aug 26, 2019 i admit i was confused about the premise of the story of g.
Joe is simply one of the best films ever made about world war ii. I joe moniker was created to encompass the entire brand. The story of gi joe to be the single most realistic hollywood war film of the 1940s. Tokyo joe is a 1949 american crime film noir directed by stuart heisler from a story by steve fisher, adapted by walter doniger and starring humphrey bogart, alexander knox, florence marly, and sessue hayakawa. Joe is a master work whose sum is far greater than its mod est parts. True to life, the film shows the harrowing lives of the infantry soldiers in world war ii. Retaliation is a 20 american military science fiction action film directed by jon m. Joe, is a 1945 american war film directed by william wellman, starring burgess meredith. Joe 1945 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Robert mitchum earned an academy award nomination for best actor for his portrayal of a battleweary infantry captain, and burgess meredith gave. Joe the finest war film hed ever seen, and one could scarcely argue with him. The critics and film historians agree, the story of g. Though already past 40, pyle insists upon marching along with an army infantry unit during the italian campaign. Joe, is a 1945 american war film directed by william wellman, starring burgess meredith and robert mitchum.
Joe is a military science fiction action film series, based on hasbros g. The movie was intended as a theatrical release to be closely followed by the transformers. Joe, also credited in prints as ernie pyles story of g. Eisenhower said in 1945 that the truly heroic figure of this war is g. Plot the film is a tribute to the common second world war american soldier, referred to with the generic name gi joe. Joe was inspired by a 1945 film about film about war correspondent ernie pyle, titled the story of g. The film was nominated for four academy awards, including mitchums only nomination for best supporting actor.
There are action scenes, but this is mainly a road trip with surprisingly little dialogue considering this is a story of a war correspondent. Burgess meredith, who voiced golobulus, played the role of wartime correspondent ernie pyle in the 1945 film the story of g. January 30 restricted release of kolberg, an historical epic which is one of the last nazi germany propaganda pieces, in wartorn berlin. The name was inspired by the 1945 film the story of g. Joe, a 1945 film based on the world war ii reporting by indiana native ernie pyle, inspired the name of the hasbro toy. Correspondent ernie pyle, 43 years of age, finds himself in the african desert with c company, 18th infantry. Secret cinema is a column dedicated to shining a light on compelling, littlenoticed, overlooked, or fadedfrommemory movies from years past. Joe was released in 1945 and is based on the columns of war correspondent ernie pyle.
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