The Fighting Sullivans (Ivy)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: C Film: B-
The Fighting Sullivans (1942 aka The
Sullivans) is a uniquely dark film, even for Hollywood, that traces the
origins of five brothers who grew up and would all fight in World War II,
including the acting style of the time for children, which was not always the
most convincing. However, it does work
enough for the film to feel more like an authentic product of its time. As many who saw it knew at the time and the
DVD case re-reminds us, all of them died in combat, echoing the loss of
thousands of families at the time.
What could have been outright melodramatic and sometimes
still is becomes something even darker than intended, as the children are
always the target of an abusive father, which was considered more normal at the
time and has become disturbingly acceptable again now in the ugly new political
climate, which extends to the exploitation of children worldwide. Though the box reminds us that it was part
of the inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998), I
was more strongly reminded of Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter (1978)
where the most non-blood brothers in a steel town are sent to even larger doom
in Vietnam, the war that never goes away, no matter how much recent Hollywood
tries to forget about it with endless WWII films that are mostly
forgettable. This reflects a media that
tried to say those who gave from WWII were “the greatest generation” before the
events of 9/11/01 occurred, showing such people learned nothing from the fall
of the enlightenment.
Director Lloyd Bacon takes the material seriously, though
there is an odd obliviousness in the screenplay and directing to the true
implications of what is going on here.
The known names include Anne Baxter, Thomas Mitchell, Ward Bond, Bobby
Driscoll and Edward Ryan (no relation) as one of the kids. That they live in Waterloo, Iowa is pushing
it a bit, but it is a unique War Genre film that is worthy of note.
The full frame 1.33 X 1 image is a bit soft and lacks some
detail, but is not awful, just average.
Who knows where the original camera materials are at, but I cannot
imagine the out of print Roan Group DVD being much better. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is also average,
showing the age and down generations of the material. Extras include a good but partial commentary by Bonds Of War
author Jack Bilello, but it only last about a half-hour, which is unfortunate,
because he is very well spoken and I am intrigued enough to want to read his
book. Also included are the fourth
chapter of the Buster Crabbe Buck Rogers (reviewed in its entirety
elsewhere on this site), a lame live action short about flying trouble with
monkeys, and a flat travelogue called Midway & Wake Islands that is
part of a series whose installments are surfacing on other Ivy DVDs. At least the film is in print again for
those interested.
- Nicholas Sheffo
