After nearly thirty years making movies, John Wayne earned his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor in Sands of Iwo Jima. His role as Sgt. John M. Stryker doesn’t stray from the hard leader types that had made Wayne a star. This time, he’s a tough leatherneck, battle hardened and committed to excellence. He is charged with training a group of new recruits to battle in the Pacific. The training camp in the film was at the New Zealand military station in 1943, but was filmed at Camp Pendleton, California.
The gung-ho war story is filled with stock characters seen in countless other war films. Nonetheless, Wayne and the other actors bring a commitment to the project that makes it believable and inspiring. The battle scenes are surprisingly powerful for a film made in 1949. Director Allan Dwan mixed actual documentary combat footage with filmed scenes. In a rare twist for John Wayne, he is shown as a flawed person. He’s bitter because his wife recently left him, taking their cherished son with her.
Now, the military is everything to him. While his bullish tactics are questioned by recruits, they will be ready for anything that might happen in battle. One recruit, Peter Conway (John Agar) the son of a former marine CO of Stryker, is particularly rebellious. He never wanted to be a marine, but family tradition made that decision for him. The conflict between Stryker and Peter evolves into a kind of father-son relationship. Stryker gives Conway extra attention, determined to get the boy home safely from battle.
Unlike most war films of the era, Sands of Iwo Jima doesn’t demonize the Japanese. Instead, the film is surprisingly cynical. The title of the film seems derived from something one of Stryker’s men says about how the soil on Iwo Jima is the worst he’s ever seen, prompting a comment that war is essentially about trading men’s lives for real estate.
I’ve never been a huge John Wayne fan, but his Oscar nomination for Sands of Iwo Jima is well earned and stands as one of the better war movies of the era.
Once again, Kino Lorber delivers a strong 4K transfer. Whether on location or on a studio lot, shots resolve nicely. Clarity and detail are strong. Textures in uniforms and set design are standouts. Contrast is impressive throughout. A black and White film, blacks are inky, and whites are full, resulting in a nice sense of depth. The stock footage occasionally shows hints of age. The grain is heavy and a bit inconsistent. Outside of those inserts, the film is free of most scratches and debris. Two or three shots have some small scratches, but they don’t interfere with the overall viewing experience.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. track is good, considering its age. Dialogue is clean, clear and concise, Battle scenes are strong and clear.
English SDH subtitles are available.
The following extras are included:
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
- NEW!! Audio Commentary by Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism Author Steven Jay Rubin
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
- NEW!! Audio Commentary by Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism Author Steven Jay Rubin
- The Making of Sands of Iwo Jima: Hosted by Leonard Maltin
- Theatrical Trailer