War in the Pacific: Guadalcanal Diary

Guadalcanal Diary (1943)

One of the seminal war films, Guadalcanal Diary set the pattern for many war films to follow. It is a typical 1940s production that reveals the strengths and weaknesses of many films of the era.

The movie starts with a picture of the book it's based on, with the pages turning to reveal the credits, and nice, artistic drawings of the major cast members. The cast is all character actors with no major star, but represent well-established types that have been used in countless movies. We have the schmoe from Brooklyn; the Jewish kid; the cab driver; the priest; the smart alec; the green kid; and so on. The movie is narrated by presumably the book's author, who is not identified as such, however there is a war correspondent who may be filling in for the writer.

The movie has stock situations that allow the characters to develop naturally. The voyage inbound with the Marines sprawled on deck shooting the breeze, the church service, the scuttlebutt, the party, etc. A couple scenes show the men singing a song together, etc.

The main plot concerns the invasion of Guadalcanal by the US Marines that took place the year before, in 1942. As the scenes change, the all-knowing, all-seeing narrator (Reed Hadley) fills in the details with a mellifluous voice.

By the time they arrive in the neighborhood of Guadalcanal it is being bombarded preparatory to their invasion. The big ship's batteries and aircraft pummel the island's surface unmercifully. The Marines go in by landing craft and are shown conversing as the boat travels towards the shore. Much of the battle is stock footage lifted from news or official footage.

The landing is strangely quiet and it looks like the enemy has vamoosed. However they are soon acquainted with their adversaries as sniper bullets start coming in.

Directed by Lewis Seiler, Guadalcanal Diary stars Preston Foster as the priest; Lloyd Nolan (Bataan) as the sergeant; William Bendix as the cabby; Richard Conte (Walk in the Sun) as the lieutenant; Richard Jaeckel as the kid; Reed Hadley as the war correspondent; and Anthony Quinn as the Hispanic. Anthony Quinn was a new face but he went on to become the biggest star of all and his face graces the video cover today. The movie has a good mix of nostalgic and dramatic scenes and overall you have an increased respect for the men who put themselves through the hell of combat.

The narration is a bit irritating with the incessant prompting and repetition, but it was a feature of moviemaking then and mirrors the typical film noir style, also. Reed Hadley who did many voice overs was the narrator. You'll probably recognize his voice.

The 20 th Century Fox DVD is presented in full frame theatrical format, in black and white and the film runs 94 minutes. The only extras are subtitles in English and Spanish. All audio choices are English.

Guadalcanal Diary is a decent war movie made during the war so the props and uniforms are authentic. You will note that the Marines used WWI-era Springfield 1903 bolt action rifles, which was accurate for the time as the newly adopted semi automatic M1 Garand rifle had not made it into their inventory yet.

More good WWII action movies shot during the war -

Bataan (1943)
Sahara (1943)
Crash Dive (1943)
Destination Tokyo (1944)
Objective, Burma! (1945)
A Walk in the Sun (1945)