The Naked and the Dead (1958)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Norman Mailer (novel)
Denis Sanders (writer)

Release Date:

28 October 1958 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

In the Pacific during World War 2, the officers live a comfortable life with good food, good drink and good quarters...

Plot Keywords:

First Lieutenant | Island | Grenade | Raft | WWII

Cast

Aldo Ray	...	Sgt. Sam Croft
Cliff Robertson	...	Lt. Robert Hearn
Raymond Massey	...	Gen. Cummings
Lili St. Cyr	...	Willa Mae aka Lily
Barbara Nichols	...	Mildred Croft
William Campbell	...	Brown
Richard Jaeckel	...	Gallagher
James Best	...	Rhidges
Joey Bishop	...	Roth
Jerry Paris	...	Goldstein
Robert Gist	...	Red
L.Q. Jones	...	Woodrow 'Woody' Wilson
Max Showalter	...	Col. Dalleson (as Casey Adams)
John Beradino	...	Capt. Mantelli
Edward McNally	...	Cohn

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | West Germany:18 (f) | Norway:16 | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Panama

Company:

Paul Gregory Productions

Trivia:

This film was originally to be released by RKO Pictures, but by the time it was ready for release, that studio had closed down and the film was distributed by Warner Bros. It may be the only instance where the logos of both companies appear on the same film

Goofs:

Anachronisms: About 26 minutes into the film, as the sergeant is begging the lieutenant for more replacements, a mixed race combat unit walks by in the background. The armed forces did not integrate until after WWII.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lo squartatore di New York (1982)

Soundtrack:

It Had to Be You

Never read the book

And maybe if I had, I might like the movie less. (I read "The Thin Red Line" before I saw that movie and was, as I expected, disappointed despite the fact that that is a very fine film.) As it is, I like this film a lot. For one thing, it's got one of Bernard Hermann's best but least-known scores; I wish it were available on CD. The cast features an amazing array of '50s lead and supporting actors. L.Q. Jones is especially enjoyable as an amiable hillbilly (a role he specialized in) and Aldo Ray gives one of his finest performances as the hate-filled Sgt. Croft. Cliff Robertson is a little milque-toasty, but that's more because the role is underwritten. Raymond Massey is appropriately arrogant and high-handed as the general in charge of the campaign. If you can catch this film on TV, Turner Classic Movies is the place to see it because they letterbox it in its original 'scope aspect ratio, crucial to appreciating this film in all its widescreen glory. Trivia note: this was a favorite film of German auteur Rainier Werner Fassbinder.