the audience applauded

That was an excellent one.

Redundant and unnecessary.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Guadalcanal Diary is one of those rare films made during World War Two (1939-1945) that manages to show the audience what it was like for the men on the front lines, albeit not in the fashion of movies about this time that would be made years later. What really makes Guadalcanal Diary work and make it a classic, is the strong performances of its cast, mainly Preston Foster, Lloyd Nolan, William Bendix, Richard Conte, Anthony Quinn and Richard Jaeckel. The actors manage to convey the wide eyed wounder that many of the men had when going into battle for the first time, then how the grim reality of war changed them and the reality that not all of them may make it out alive.The later is best shown during the night attack by the Japanese air and naval forces. During the attack, Cpl. Aloysius "Taxi" Potts (William Bendix) gives a monologue in which he states that he is scared and doesn't care who hears him say it. "I can't tell them bombs to hit somewhere else." he says to his fellow Marines. During his speech, Potts states that this is all over his head and that its up to someone bigger then him. "Like I said before, it's up to somebody bigger than me, bigger than anybody. What I mean is I...I guess it's up to God. And I'm not kidding when I say I sure hope he knows how l feel. I'm not going to say I'm sorry for everything I've done. When you're scared like this, the first thing you do is start trying to square things. If I get out of this alive, I'll probably go out and do the same things all over again. The only thing I know is I didn't ask to get in this spot. And if we get it...and it sure looks that way now....then I only hope He figures we did the best we could and lets it go at that." This, along with Anthony Quinn's line "Its not so much dying, its having to sit here and take it!" really ram home what it was like for the men who fought at Guadalcanal. In the end, Guadalcanal Diary is a strong, character driven movie. At the same time, while the battle scenes are "clean" and the hardships endured by the Marines are not fully emphasized, the film still manages to show what it took for them to win this battle.

Because "Guadalcanal Diary" was made during the war, the film was meant as propaganda--to build support for the war at home and to convince folks that the war would be won. However, the film is not just simple-minded propaganda and is well worth watching. The American marines, while tough, are NOT invincible in this one and the story is based on the invasion of Guadalcanal in 1942. It also helps that the film has a very good ensemble cast of actors and decent production values. The only negative, and it's true in most of these films, is that there is the use of some grainy stock footage. Fortunately, it's not used too often and the story gives you a good but slightly sanitized view of this important battle in the Pacific. Nothing brilliant but very well done.

The ensemble cast of this film made it the fine war film it is. Most of the cast had starring roles in other films. I thought the narration of Reed Hadley was perfect in telling the story of the first American offensive against the Japanese in WWII. Guadalcanal was a turning point in the Pacific War as it ended a series of Japanese successes and began the shrinking of their Pacific conquests. Others have pointed out the historical inaccuracies including the fact that the Japanese survivors were successfully evacutated from the island and not driven into the sea as depicted in the final battle. One shocking inaccuracy I noticed took place on the second day of the Marine landing. The first night, while huddled in foxholes, they hear gunfire off shore and comments that "The Navy is busy tonight." The next morning, Col. Grayson (Minor Watson) comments, "We lost four cruisers but we beat them off good." In fact, the U.S. Navy suffered one of its worst defeats in history in the battle of Savo Island. The Japanese commander was hardly "beaten off" but decided to withdraw after sinking 4 Allied cruisers (Canberra, Astoria, Quincy and Vincennes)because he thought U.S. carriers were in the vicinity. In fact, they had departed and the Japanese commander could have destroyed the entire invasion fleet and the outcome would have been far different. What proved to be an eventual allied victory, came within a hairs-breath of being a disastrous defeat. While the Marines have received the lion's share of the glory, well deserved, Guadalcanal took the lives of many more Navy personnel than Marines. The many horrific night naval battles took a heavy toll and the waters north of Guadalcanal were aptly renamed "Ironbottom Sound." Sadly, Hollywood has never made a film about the horrors faced by sailors in achieving the victory at Guadalcanal. The movie about the five Sullivan brothers, who all died when their ship (Juneau) was sunk with only 10 survivors in the bloody waters of Guadalcanal, was just a small part of the carnage the Navy suffered there. Guadalcanal Diary is a stirring tribute to the Marine Corps and a accurate portrayal of what they endured on that wretched island.

This is one of the all-time great classic movies of its genre. Unlike most Hollywood movies that use historical events as backgrounds for sappy and insipid love stories, the main "character" of this movie is the event itself. For the Battle of Guadalcanal is one of the key battles in all of history. This momentous event, which took place at the same time the Soviet Union was battling the Germans at Stalingrad, marked the end of Japanese expansion in the south Pacific and the beginning of the process that would lead to Japan's ultimate defeat. It should also be noted that the Battle for Guadalcanal was entirely an American operation, fought several thousands miles away from home and against an implacable enemy that had months, if not years, to prepare their defenses. Moreover, this battle took place just months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The acting is great, the story compelling and is all-in-all a movie that is definitely worth watching.