The Sullivans (1944)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Lloyd Bacon

Writers:

Edward Doherty (story)
Mary C. McCall Jr. (writer)

Release Date:

3 February 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

The Guts and Glory of the Fighting Navy!!

Plot:

The lives of a close-knit group of brothers growing up in Iowa during the days of the Great Depression...

Plot Keywords:

Iowa | Family Relationships | Navy | Priest | Brother Brother Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Anne Baxter	...	Katherine Mary Sullivan
Thomas Mitchell	...	Mr. Thomas F. Sullivan
Selena Royle	...	Mrs. Alleta Sullivan
Edward Ryan	...	Albert Leo 'Al' Sullivan
Trudy Marshall	...	Genevieve 'Gen' Sullivan
John Campbell	...	Francis Henry 'Frank' Sullivan
James Cardwell	...	George Thomas Sullivan
John Alvin	...	Madison Abel 'Matt' Sullivan
George Offerman Jr.	...	Joesph Eugene 'Joe' Sullivan
Roy Roberts	...	Father Francis
Ward Bond	...	Lt. Cmdr. Robinson

Also Known As:

The Fighting Sullivans (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (certificate #9650) | USA:PG (DVD/VHS release)

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the induction center, the Petty Officer the Sullivan brothers bull past has his Crow (Navy Chevrons) sewn on the mid-line of his sleeve with a crease running through the center of the chevrons. Navy uniforms have the stripes sewn forward of the crease, not on the crease.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "History's Mysteries: The True Story of the Fighting Sullivans (#4.5)" (????)

Soundtrack:

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (1st Movement, Allegro)

Simply great

This is one of the few movies I've seen that really made me cry. I agree with others who wrote about this and would definitely put it up there with The Best Years of our Lives as one of the great World War II pictures. Saving Private Ryan didn't move me as much as this mainly because we really don't get to know Private Ryan (or his brothers, for that matter). In this movie, we get to know all of the brothers, especially the oldest and the youngest. It did feel a bit like the Waltons in the first hour (were homes really that apple pie in Iowa in the 30s?) But watching the boys come of age and struggle with basic teenage issues, and then watching them enlist, made their fates all the more powerful. Yes, I knew what was going to happen but I was moved all the same. This movie should be required viewing for everyone who adored Saving Private Ryan.