Pride of the Marines (5 stars)

A fellow John Garfield fan and I were recently discussing the films which turned us on to Mr. Garfield and his incredible acting abilities, and since 1945's Pride of the Marines is the one that did it for me, I felt a re-watch of the film and a re-working and expansion of that review was in order.  A biographical World War II-era drama based on the real-life war experience of  U.S. Marine Al Schmid, Pride of the Marines stars Mr. Garfield and Eleanor Parker, with Dane Clark and Rosemary DeCamp taking on co-starring roles. The film is mostly a pre-going-to-war and recovering-from-war film...actual battle scene is only about ten minutes, so if you don't like war movies, you won't have much of that to endure.

The setting is Philadelphia in late 1941.  Al Schmid (John Garfield) and Ruth Hartley (Eleanor Parker) are "fixed up" by mutual friends, and after a rocky start to their romance, they are quite in love and are looking forward to the future.  The bombing of Pearl Harbor changes their plans, though, for Al enlists in the Marines and is sent off to the Pacific.  While at the train station before Al's departure, the two pledge their love, with Ruth promising to wait for Al.

Months later, while defending a position on Guadalcanal, Al takes a grenade in the face, resulting in the loss of his sight.  He is sent to a San Diego naval hospital to recuperate, and at first, hopeful that an operation will restore his sight, he is in good spirits, even dictating letters for his nurse to send to Ruth.

Not wanting Ruth's pity, nor wanting to consider that his blindness may be permanent, his letters never mention his condition.  Eventually, though, after an unsuccessful operation, he sends Ruth one final letter to break things off.  Although his nurse tells him that he is still the same man and that Ruth would still love him, a bitter Al refuses to allow Ruth to be a seeing-eye dog for him.

Does Al ever see again?  Does Ruth ever find out about his blindness?  Do they get back together?  And what happens when Al must return to Philadelphia for an awards ceremony?  These are the questions which play out in this lovely war-time drama.



As stated, Pride of the Marines is the film which turned me on to the incredible John Garfield.  As one who is passionately interested in all things related to the Second World War, I have long been on a quest to see all the (war) films made during the actual war years, and it was through that endeavor that Mr. Garfield entered my life.  I was beyond impressed with his portrayal of Al Schmid; I thought he was nothing short of spectacular and, thus, began seeking out more of his works.  As I did so, I became more enamored of this very under-appreciated actor, and he rapidly made the climb to "beloved" status on my favorite actor list.

Not only does Pride of the Marines give me an opportunity to enjoy one of my most beloved actors, it also gives me my 4th favorite actress ever---the beautiful Eleanor Parker.   I learned in Body and Soul, the Story of John Garfield that "Julie (as Mr. Garfield was always called) asked to have Miss Parker opposite him in his next picture" (which turned out to be Pride of the Marines). "Although Warners had been thinking along the lines of Joan Leslie or Alexis Smith, they delivered Miss Parker because they wanted to keep Julie happy..."  For me, the casting of Miss Parker was completely perfect---she was sensational in the role, plus, she and Mr. Garfield had great chemistry together.  I really liked the character she portrayed...strong, yet tender.  The way Ruth stood up to Al when he was being a jerk in the early stages of their relationship was great.

While TCM does air Pride of the Marines occasionally, I haven't noticed it on the schedule in quite awhile.  However, it is out on DVD, so, hopefully, it will be fairly easy to track down.  I  do hope you get a chance to see this inspiring, well-acted film.

Happy viewing!!