John Wayne-John Ford Film Collection (The Searchers Ultimate Edition / Stagecoach Two-Disc Special Edition / Fort Apache / She Wore a Yellow Ribbon / The Long Voyage Home / They Were Expendable / 3 Godfathers / The Wings of Eagles)

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There may be no better representation of America's love of the old West than the 10-disc John Ford-John Wayne Collection. The iconic star and iconic director collaborated on 14 films, eight of which appear here. Four--Fort Apache (1948), The Long Voyage Home (1940), The Wings of Eagles (1957), and 3 Godfathers (1948)--are appearing for the first time on DVD, and the two most famous, Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956), are represented in brand-new two-disc editions that add new and old featurettes as well as the outstanding American Masters documentary John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend. (This Ultimate Edition of The Searchers adds a variety of printed materials as well, such as reproductions of press materials and a 1956 comic book.) Two other landmark films previously available on DVD, They Were Expendable (1945) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), round out the set. The three non-Westerns in the set have military settings, with They Were Expendable arguably the greatest World War II picture ever.

The Movies:
A favorite film of some of the world's greatest filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, John Ford's The Searchers has earned its place in the legacy of great American films for a variety of reasons. Perhaps most notably, it's the definitive role for John Wayne as an icon of the classic Western--the hero (or antihero) who must stand alone according to the unwritten code of the West. The story takes place in Texas in 1868; Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a Confederate veteran who visits his brother and sister-in-law at their ranch and is horrified when they are killed by marauding Comanches. Ethan's search for a surviving niece (played by young Natalie Wood) becomes an all-consuming obsession. With the help of a family friend (Jeffrey Hunter) who is himself part Cherokee, Ethan hits the trail on a five-year quest for revenge. At the peak of his masterful talent, director Ford crafts this classic tale as an embittered examination of racism and blind hatred, provoking Wayne to give one of the best performances of his career. As with many of Ford's classic Westerns, The Searchers must contend with revisionism in its stereotypical treatment of "savage" Native Americans, and the film's visual beauty (the final shot is one of the great images in all of Western culture) is compromised by some uneven performances and stilted dialogue. Still, this is undeniably one of the greatest Westerns ever made.

The landmark Western Stagecoach began the legendary relationship between Ford and Wayne, and became the standard for all subsequent Westerns. It solidified Ford as a major director and established Wayne as a charismatic screen presence. Seen today, Stagecoach still impresses as the first mature instance of a Western that is both mythic and poetic. The story about a cross-section of troubled passengers unraveling under the strain of Indian attack contains all of Ford's incomparable storytelling trademarks--particularly swift action and social introspection--underscored by the painterly landscape of Monument Valley. And what an ensemble of actors: Thomas Mitchell (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as the drunken doctor), Claire Trevor, Donald Meek, Andy Devine, and the magical John Carradine.

Fort Apache stars Wayne as a Cavalry officer used to doing things a certain way out West at Fort Apache. Along comes a rigid, new commanding officer (Henry Fonda) who insists that everything on his watch be done by the book, including dealings with local Indians. The results are mixed: greater discipline at the fort, but increased hostilities with the natives. Ford deliberately leaves judgments about the wisdom of these changes ambiguous, but he also allows plenty of room for the fullness of life among the soldiers and their families to blossom. Fonda, in an unusual role for him, is stern and formal as the new man in charge; Wayne is heroic as the rebellious second; Victor McLaglen provides comic relief; and Ward Bond is a paragon of sturdy and sentimental masculinity. All of this is set against the magnificent, poetic topography of Monument Valley. This is easily one of the greatest of American films.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, the second installment of Ford's famous cavalry trilogy (which also includes Fort Apache and Rio Grande), continues the director's fascination with history's obliteration of the past. It features one of John Wayne's more sensitive performances as Capt. Nathan Brittles, a stern yet sentimental war horse who has difficulty preparing for his impending military retirement. It's a film about honor and duty as well as loneliness and mortality. And Oscar-winner Winton C. Hoch beautifully photographs it in Remington-like Technicolor tones. The combination of melancholy and farce (Victor McLaglen makes a perfect court jester) evokes comparisons to Shakespeare. Best of all, the scene in which Wayne fights back tears when receiving a gold watch from his troops is unforgettably bittersweet. If you view the whole trilogy, it actually makes sense to save this for last.

It's hardly shameful that Three Godfathers ranks as the slightest John Ford Western in a five-year arc that includes My Darling Clementine, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Wagon Master, and Rio Grande. The story had already been filmed at least five times--once by Ford himself. Just before Christmas, three workaday outlaws (John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank and flee into the desert. The canny town marshal (Ward Bond) moves swiftly to cut them off from the wells along their escape route, so they make for another, deep in the wasteland. There's no water waiting for them, but there is a woman (Mildred Natwick) on the verge of death--and also of giving birth. The three badmen accept her dying commission as godfathers to the newborn. Motley variants of the Three Wise Men, they strike out for the town of New Jerusalem with her Bible as roadmap. Ford's is the softest retelling of the tale, but it's all played with great gusto and tenderness--especially by Wayne, who's rarely been more appealing. Visually the film is one knockout shot after another. This was Ford's first Western in Technicolor, as well as his first collaboration with cinematographer Winton Hoch. What they do with sand ripples and shadows and long plumes of train smoke is rapturously beautiful. It's also often too arty by half, but who can blame them?

Eugene O'Neill loved The Long Voyage Home, the feature-length adaptation of his one-act sea plays, with intelligent bridging material written by Dudley Nichols and a final movement, both hellish and elegiac, appropriate to the onset of World War II. John Ford directed, in his more self-consciously arty vein but with no loss of power or passion. The focus is on the working seamen aboard a merchant ship making its way from the Caribbean to New York harbor and then England, with dangerous cargo on the transatlantic leg. Thomas Mitchell (who had won a 1939 Oscar in Ford's Stagecoach) gives a career-best performance as Driscoll; Ian Hunter plays the enigmatic shipmate known only as "Smitty"; Ford regulars Barry Fitzgerald, John Qualen, Ward Bond, Arthur Shields, and Joseph Sawyer fill key roles; and the top-billed John Wayne contributes a surprisingly effective supporting performance as Ole, a gentle Swedish giant who really belongs on a farm somewhere. Although neglected in recent years, this movie has a permanent place of honor in one of the most amazing three-year creative streaks any director ever had.

John Ford had a big emotional investment in The Wings of Eagles, and his favorite star John Wayne rewarded the director with one of his strongest performances. The subject is Frank "Spig" Wead, Naval aviation legend turned Hollywood screenwriter, who had written Ford's very good 1932 movie Air Mail and his magnificent WWII elegy They Were Expendable (1945). Ford was fond of exploring the theme of "victory in defeat." Wead's life was made to order for that. The hell-raising flyboy shenanigans, and his flailing marriage to a scrappy Irish redhead (The Quiet Man's Maureen O'Hara reporting for duty), were abruptly curtailed by a fall that left him with severe spinal damage. He should never have been able to walk again, but he fought his way back to limited mobility and built a new career as a writer. And when WWII broke out, Wead made a key contribution to the Pacific air war. It would be satisfying to report that The Wings of Eagles is a triumph--that the broad comedy of the early reels cuts brilliantly against the raw pain of the Weads' marriage, the grief of a family broken and mended and broken again, the film's specters of death and deep frustration. There are powerful moments, but the low comedy is very low, the visual style sometimes stark but more often just drab, and the screenplay is very choppy about the passage of time.

They Were Expendable is the greatest American film of the Second World War, made by America's greatest director, John Ford, who himself saw action from the Battle of Midway through D-day. Yet it's been oddly neglected. Or perhaps not so oddly: for as the matter-of-fact title implies, the film commemorates a period, from the eve of Pearl Harbor up to the impending fall of Bataan, when the Japanese conquest of the Pacific was in full cry and U.S. forces were fighting a desperate holding action. Although stirring movies had been made about these early days, they were gung ho in their resolve to see the tables turned. They Were Expendable, however, which was made when Allied victory was all but assured, is profoundly elegiac, with the patient grandeur of a tragic poem. "They" are the officers and men of the Navy's PT boat service, an experimental motor-torpedo force relegated to courier duty on Manila Bay but eventually proven effective in combat. Their commander is played by Robert Montgomery, who actually served on a PT and later commanded a destroyer at Normandy (he also codirected the breathtaking second-unit action sequences). John Wayne's costarring role as Montgomery's volatile second-in-command initially looks stereotypically blustery, but as the drama unfolds, Wayne sounds notes of tenderness and vulnerability that will take Duke-bashers by surprise. They Were Expendable is a heartbreakingly beautiful film, full of astonishing images of warfare, grief, courage, and dignity. This is a masterpiece.

Description

John Ford was easily one of the greatest, most prolific and versatile directors Hollywood ever produced. Combined with a star of the caliber and magnetism of John Wayne, what emerges is pure cinematic magic. WHV now introduces a ten-disc set featuring eight of the team's finest collaborations: The Searchers: Ultimate Collector's Edition (1956) Stagecoach: Special Edition (1939) Fort Apache (1948) The Long Voyage Home (1940) Wings of Eagles (1957) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1948) They Were Expendable (1945) 3 Godfathers (1948)

Customer Reviews:

What a collection.......2007-08-29

John Ford and John Wayne had a true kinship with each other. This shows on the films featured in this collection. Ford could always bring out the best in Wayne and the proof of that is in "The Searchers". Probably the best role that Wayne ever played. This is a great collection and the films will remind you of when Hollywood still knew how to make films....

What a Deal........2007-04-28

A lot has been said about this collection. I would just like to point out that the price can't be beat either. The Searchers disk alone would set you back 35 dollars. The Stagecoach another 20. The other six DVD's are free. About 60 to 70 dollars worth. Man you can't do any better. I already had The Wings of Eagles and The Long Voyage Home. The set DVD's are identical to the DVD's I already had, so this isn't a stripped down set at all.

Superb John Wayne.......2007-03-22

An excellent selection of John Wayne movies. The Searchers has been rated one of his best with She Wore a Yellow Ribbon my all time favorite. Fort Apache is excellent also. The Long Voyage and They were Expendable were minor roles for him but all in all a great collection of films. The man became the all american hero even before his passing.

8 Films By Two Screen Legends.......2007-03-19

This is one of the larger collections that came out last year and whatever else you may think about John Wayne, he was the most prolific star of his (perhaps of all) time, twice the output of Humphrey Bogart, for example.

John Ford was also quite prolific but many of his early ones are lost. Still, his place and time as one of the great auteurs intrigues many of cinephile.

Some favorites are missing but are available, such as "Rio Grande", "The Quiet Man" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". The extras for this set are in some cases, non existant, while some are repeats, but the main reason to own this set is for the films themselves.

"Stagecoach" - This 1939 Western stands as the turning point for both Ford's and especially Wayne's careers. This is also quite an ensemble piece for which Donald Meek, Thomas Mitchell (was Oscar for this), John Caradine, Andy Devine, George Bancroft, Louise Pratt and Berton Churchill spend much screen time as the occupants of the stagecoach along with JW and Clair Trevor. Wayne and Trevor provide the love story, she as the whore being run out of town, he the vengeful outlaw who Bancroft wants to lock up for Wayne's own good. But all are misfits in this journey and even though quite laughable today, a fun movie to watch. Alas, the native Americans are basically just ducks in a shooting gallery.

"The Long Voyage Home" is another ensemble piece and does have the odd casting of Wayne as the big Swede who doesn't hit back. Mitchell returns and is actually the main character in this movie, which does have the great bittersweet language of Eugene O'Neil. This offers what a good actor Ward Bond was when called to be when he has his death scene.

"They Were Expendable" Ford won two Oscars for documentaries shot in World War Two. Wayne made many war pictures but this is my favorite one. The dialogue and settings are quite believable for the most part and Robert Montgomery displays dignity as the one in charge. A nice haunting scene is when Wayne gets caught off talking to Donna Reed with the realization he might never see her again. This also has none of the crazy heroics that many films had (Wayne guilty in many of those) and a good humor with the supporting characters.

"3 Godfathers" is truly an offbeat film. Wayne, Pedro Amadariz and Harry Carey, Jr., are actually bank robbers, quite likable though, who save a woman's baby while running away from sheriff Ward Bond. It is through this baby that the three find redemption though it's only Wayne who has the happy ending. In its way, this is a very spiritual film.

"Fort Apache" is actually my favorite film here. Fords prints the facts and shows them distorted by Wayne for his benefit who he can effectively lead the troop. Henry Fonda plays quite the unsympathic custer character who tricks Cochise to come back. The scene that Fonda has with Cochise, who laments in Spanish the deplorable conditions but chills the white man's chilling response, is brilliant. The adult Shirley Temple provides support here with the bland John Agar. Also very good, Ward Bond, Victor McLagden and Pedro Armandariz.

"She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" is quite a melodramtic film with Wayne talking to tombstones and weeping half the time. Still, great comedic support from Victor McLagden. "Don't apolagize, it's a sign of weakness" Wayne repeats over and over. However, both Agar and Carey, Jr., aren't given much to do. Ben Johnson does what he does best. It's interesting that George O'Brien was Ford's big star in the silent era and here and Fort Apache just strictly a sad character actor. Still, John Wayne makes this watchable and the gold watch scene quite effective.

"The Searchers" which along with "Stagecoach" gets a second disk of extras. This is the definitive Wayne-Ford movie, as good as any film noir as the antihero makes good. Wayne plays the racist Ethan Edwards and Jeff Hunter co stars as the other searcher who must accompany Wayne before Wayne finds and murders his niece, played by the beautiful Natalie Wood. The firing into the dead Indian's eyes, the shooting of buffalo, the shooting of Indians in the back, the digust of looking at white women are among the most powerful scenes Wayne or Ford have ever done. It would have been interesting if Wayne actually killed Wood because that's the actual story, but thank God he didn't. This film is not a comfortable film to watch and it's not intended to be. The race issues it addresses still hold true today.

"The Wings of Eagles" is in my opinion, the weakest Wayne-Ford movie. There's no sense of period. The slapstick doesn't work for me and Maureen O'Hara's character's alcoholism is never addressed. However, Wayne's determination to move that toe, strongly assisted by Dan Dailey, makes up for a lot. Also, way too briefly, Ward Bond as John Ford. Also fun is hearing Wayne's comment of bringing in the seventh calvary when viewing an early Clark Gable movie.

SPANISH SUBTITLES MISSING - IT'S A PITY!!!!.......2007-03-11

Despite the DVD label states subtitles available in English, French and Spanish, NO SPANISH SUBTITLES ARE AVAILABLE IN THIS FILM. Unbelievable such a top level collection with this mismatch!

I would have enjoyed a complete understanding of the film, given I am an enthusiastic cinematography student, and even worse: I am a Spanish speaker!!! My sister is now writing for me!!

Thanks to Amazon for its fine service in Argentina.

PABLO GALARZA

Average customer rating:

A Battle Lost but a War Won
They Were Expendable
Excellent and moving portrayal of America as we once were
Best WWII "Pacific Theatre" film ever made
John Fords finest hour

They Were Expendable
Starring: John Wayne , Montgomery , Reed , Holt , and Bon
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ASIN: B000O599VC
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com essential video

"They" are the officers and men of the Navy's PT boat service, an experimental motor-torpedo force relegated to courier duty on Manila Bay but eventually proven effective in combat. Their commander is played by Robert Montgomery, who actually served on a PT and later commanded a destroyer at Normandy; James Agee called his "the one unimprovable performance" of 1945. In addition to giving it, Montgomery codirected the breathtaking second-unit action sequences (and took over the first unit for a week when Ford broke his leg). John Wayne's costarring role as Montgomery's volatile second-in-command initially looks stereotypically blustery, but as the drama unfolds--the death of comrades, a friendship-that-never-gets-to-be-a-romance with an Army nurse (Donna Reed)--Wayne sounds notes of tenderness and vulnerability that will take Duke-bashers by surprise.

They Were Expendable is a heartbreakingly beautiful film, full of astonishing images of warfare, grief, courage, and dignity: the artificial "rainfall" that lashes the beached Wayne as his PT boat explodes in the surf; the glow around a communally improvised dinner for nurse Reed; an old ship-repairer (Russell Simpson, The Grapes of Wrath's Pa Joad) settling in grimly to wait for the Japanese, with "Red River Valley" as benediction; the propeller spray that hangs over a jungle inlet, like the dust from one of Ford's cavalry pictures, as the PTs round a bend and disappear into history. This is a masterpiece. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Supplies are dwindling. Troops are hopelessly outnumbered. But even in defeat there is victory. The defenders of the Philippines ? including PT-boat skippers John Brickley (Robert Montgomery) and Rusty Ryan (John Wayne) will give the U.S. war effort time to regroup after the devastation of Pearl Harbor. Director John Ford's World War II tale knows its battle-scarred topic firsthand. Montgomery was himself a Pacific PT-boat commander and a valorous Bronze Star recipient. Ford filmed the Academy Award?-winning* documentary Battle of Midway. And Wayne creates a portrait of patriotic resolve as only he can. They Were Expendable salutes all who expended themselves during some of the war's bleakest hours. Director John Ford's World War II tale knows its battle-scarred topic firsthand. Montgomery was himself a Pacific PT-boat commander and a valorous Bronze Star recipient. Ford filmed the Academy Award -winning* documentary Battle of Midway. And Wayne creates a portrait of patriotic resolve as only he can. They Were Expendable salutes all who expended themselves during some of the war's bleakest hours.

Customer Reviews:

A Battle Lost but a War Won.......2007-08-10

My grandfather served in the Navy in the Pacific during WW2. He was on two different boats the Japanese sunk. He survived and served 30 yrs in the Navy. The second, the USS Mahan was kamikazied in the Leyte Gulf. My Step-Grandfather was on the Yorktown during midway. My dad was a Naval physician for 20 yrs. Fair to say, I have a personal interest in Navy movies and, in particular, the Navy during WW2.

I've seen lots and lots of war movies and They Were Expendable is one the best. John Ford was the best American director ever, in my opinion. A movie so realistic, I remember it "in color" even though it is B/W. The b/w cinematography is beautiful on it's own. There are some exciting action scenes but it is important to understand movies made in the 40's, even war movies and westerns didn't have a whole lot of action compared to today's action and war flicks. TWE is long and deliberately slow so as to allow the characters to flesh out and give the audience an opportunity to understand and appreciate the tremendous sacrifice these men made.

I'm the product of a cynical generation and I'll admit I sometimes find classic films to be a bit quaint or corny. Everyone in this movie is steadfast, honorable, brave, graceful, helpful, upbeat, patriotic and unhesitating in their eagerness to place themselves in harms way not for accolades but to help fight. You don't see that in today's war movies.

TWE is about men who fought a running island hopping battle knowing the situation was hopeless because they understood that anything they could do to weaken or delay the enemy in even the most minor way helped shorten the war in the allies' favor. Thousands of men and not a few women (nurses) suffered and died in the Philippines giving the enemy every last ounce of grief while America recovered from Pearl Harbor and built its fleet back up.

John Wayne, Robert Montgomery, Donna Reed and many of John Ford's stock company collaborate to make a movie even the most cynical and jaded American can and should watch with enjoyment and patriotism.

They Were Expendable.......2007-07-09

One of the finest films directed by John ford and starring John Wayne, Robert Montgomery, Donna Reed, Ward Bond etc, this movie gets to the heart of WWII, and what the PT Boats Commanders & their Crews had to go through, it is also a deeply moving love story between a man and a women, who come together only to be torn apart by the war not knowing whether OR not they will see each other again, this is one movie that if you watch it you can identify with and one movie you can never get tired of watching.

Excellent and moving portrayal of America as we once were.......2007-06-26

The quality of the DVD is excellent, making viewing the film a good experience. I had seen this film many years ago and seeing it again brings back many memories. Oh, how I wish America had held on to those good qualities.

Best WWII "Pacific Theatre" film ever made.......2007-05-21

That's all there is to say about it. It's the best World War II movie about the war in the pacific ever made. Wayne, Reed & Montgomery never looked better. The supporting cast is perfect. It will break your heart and inspire you at the same time.

John Fords finest hour.......2007-05-20

I remember seeing this movie a thousand times on TV from childhood. I finally bought the DVD to see the entire film uncut. There has always been something special about Donna Reed and Robert Montgomery in this film. They are very much the same but the war forces them into very different roles. It was never lost on me that John Ford positioned John Wayne between them to show the contrast and simultaneously the similarities. It's certainly one of the most elegant films I have ever seen.

They Were Expendable/Flying Leathernecks

Average customer rating:

John Wayne does it right on the sea and in the air
PT BOAT CREWS
One of 10 best war movies ever
Nice old Wayne films, well worth watching..

They Were Expendable/Flying Leathernecks
Starring: They Were Expendable , and Flying Leathernecks
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ASIN: B000E0WJPA
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Description

John Wayne and Robert Montgomery star in and John Ford directs a resolute tale of World War II courage: They Were Expendable. The two stars portray PT-boat skippers who defend the Philippines and give the U.S. war effort time to regroup after the crippling losses at Pearl Harbor. Wayne takes to the skies with the Flying Leathernecks, leading embattled Marine fighter squadron VMF 247 at Guadalcanal and also campaigning to coordinate ground combat with low-flying aerial sorties. Nicholas Ray directs, mixing in actual battlefield and dogfight footage. Robert Ryan co-stars.

Customer Reviews:

John Wayne does it right on the sea and in the air.......2007-08-31

"They Were Expendable" is a true story about the first real action of PT boats in the second world war, as it occurred in the Phillipines in the early months of 1942. "The Fleet the Gods Forgot" by Winslow includes an account of Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 which closely matches the movie, and includes additional accounts of heroic action by the men who served in the squadron.

"Flying Leathernecks" is an incredible piece of history, showing F6F Hellcat fighters and F4U Corsair fighters in air operations in the Pacific and on Essex class aircraft carriers. If you enjoy seeing these historic ships and planes in real color, you should also consider "Dive Bomber" with Fred McMurray which shows air operations in 1941 on the USS Enterprise (CV-5).

These are great movies for any 2nd world war history buff.

PT BOAT CREWS.......2007-08-23

Great epic of our fathers fight for our freedom.
We should all appreciate this vanishing breed of Americans.

Semper-Fi
USMC 1966-1973

One of 10 best war movies ever.......2007-06-14

Maybe because I was just a little kid, and the war was still raging, but nearing an end. Maybe it was partially because my grandfather took me to see this movie as he took me to see other movies every Saturday, and maybe it was because my Polio was gone and I could walk and run again, but mostly because my uncle was the skipper of a PT boat and knew JFK. Great Direction by John Ford, with his regular crew plus Robert Montgomery, (John Wayne, Donna Reed, Ward Bond) and many other great stars gave outstanding performances in an authentic, tropic the ambience in which and the black and white film was appropriate.

The missions, struggles, disappointments, anmiable characters just doing their jobs, nice guys but tough guys doing a very tough job in an underappreciated job, playwood PT boats which the navy and marines used but didn't entirely trust. Would Monty and Wayne bring home a winner, or switch to submarines? A short history of the coming of age of a PT boat fleet, the hopelessness that hung above like a black cloud just above their heads in what then seemed a losing effort, but which they kept pushing away with the stiff-upper lip, hard bitten, toughness of ordinary men and women doing extraordinary things, the grit and hope, that showed and the look to the future, still worried about people missing whose fate were unknown gave one a feeling of what it really must have been like. When my uncle came back from action a year later, he said it was one of his favorite war films-authentic and revealing.

The second film in technicolor is Flying Leather Necks, directed by Nicolas Ray and starring Wayne, Robert Ryan and an excellent supporting cast was a typical fighter pilot film, well done, conflicts, misunderstandings, emotional struggloes with tensions of death and mistakes and orders which are hard to follow at times. A good film but less of a classic than the Black and white above.
Besides all of that, one Great film, one good film and a terrific price.

Nice old Wayne films, well worth watching.........2006-11-08

Since I saw these when they were first released, this was a trip back down a nostalgic memory lane. Good examples of the movies of the period during WWII and shortly after. John Wayne movies are always a good choice.

Average customer rating:

A Battle Lost but a War Won
They Were Expendable
Excellent and moving portrayal of America as we once were
Best WWII "Pacific Theatre" film ever made
John Fords finest hour

They Were Expendable
Starring: Philip Ahn , Murray Alper , Leon Ames , Stephen Barclay , and Robert H. Barrat
Director: John Ford
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000F0UUJG
Release Date: 2006-06-06

Amazon.com essential video

Description

Supplies are dwindling. Troops are hopelessly outnumbered. But even in defeat there is victory. The defenders of the Philippines ? including PT-boat skippers John Brickley (Robert Montgomery) and Rusty Ryan (John Wayne) ? will give the U.S. war effort time to regroup after the devastation of Pearl Harbor. Director John Ford's World War II tale knows its battle-scarred topic firsthand. Montgomery was himself a Pacific PT-boat commander and a valorous Bronze Star recipient. Ford filmed the Academy Award?-winning* documentary Battle of Midway. And Wayne creates a portrait of patriotic resolve as only he can. They Were Expendable salutes all who expended themselves during some of the war's bleakest hours. Director John Ford's World War II tale knows its battle-scarred topic firsthand. Montgomery was himself a Pacific PT-boat commander and a valorous Bronze Star recipient. Ford filmed the Academy Award -winning* documentary Battle of Midway. And Wayne creates a portrait of patriotic resolve as only he can. They Were Expendable salutes all who expended themselves during some of the war's bleakest hours.

Customer Reviews:

A Battle Lost but a War Won.......2007-08-10

They Were Expendable.......2007-07-09

Excellent and moving portrayal of America as we once were.......2007-06-26

Best WWII "Pacific Theatre" film ever made.......2007-05-21

John Fords finest hour.......2007-05-20

Average customer rating:

A Battle Lost but a War Won
They Were Expendable
Excellent and moving portrayal of America as we once were
Best WWII "Pacific Theatre" film ever made
John Fords finest hour

They Were Expendable
Starring: Murray Alper , Leon Ames , Robert Barrat , Ward Bond , and Donald Curtis
Director: Ford, John
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00004RF9E
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Amazon.com essential video

Description

Supplies are dwindling. Troops are hopelessly outnumbered. But even in defeat there is victory. The defenders of the Philippines ? including PT-boat skippers John Brickley (Robert Montgomery) and Rusty Ryan (John Wayne) ? will give the U.S. war effort time to regroup after the devastation of Pearl Harbor. Director John Ford's World War II tale knows its battle-scarred topic firsthand. Montgomery was himself a Pacific PT-boat commander and a valorous Bronze Star recipient. Ford filmed the Academy Award?-winning* documentary Battle of Midway. And Wayne creates a portrait of patriotic resolve as only he can. They Were Expendable salutes all who expended themselves during some of the war's bleakest hours. Director John Ford's World War II tale knows its battle-scarred topic firsthand. Montgomery was himself a Pacific PT-boat commander and a valorous Bronze Star recipient. Ford filmed the Academy Award -winning* documentary Battle of Midway. And Wayne creates a portrait of patriotic resolve as only he can. They Were Expendable salutes all who expended themselves during some of the war's bleakest hours.

Customer Reviews:

A Battle Lost but a War Won.......2007-08-10

They Were Expendable.......2007-07-09

Excellent and moving portrayal of America as we once were.......2007-06-26

Best WWII "Pacific Theatre" film ever made.......2007-05-21

John Fords finest hour.......2007-05-20

Average customer rating:

"Expendable" alone is worth the price..."Leathernecks" an added value

They Were Expendable / Flying Leathernecks
Starring: James Bell , Janis Carter , James Dobson , Jay C. Flippen , and Gordon Gebert
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009UZG6Y
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Description

Customer Reviews:

"Expendable" alone is worth the price..."Leathernecks" an added value.......2006-12-24

"They Were Expendable" has to be among the most underated war movies ever!
There is little else to say except that this is an outstanding movie.
"Leathernecks" is a good one also, and provides an interesting comparison for the movie buff. Side by side like this, one can easily come to a conclusion about the repective directors. A critical look at these two together shows just how good John Ford was. Not to knock "Leathernecks", but Ford is the best director Hollywood likely ever had, and it shows in making a terrifc movie about...excuse me....but, P.T. boats??! Who else ever tried that and hit a home run?

Average customer rating:

A Battle Lost but a War Won
They Were Expendable
Excellent and moving portrayal of America as we once were
Best WWII "Pacific Theatre" film ever made
John Fords finest hour

They Were Expendable
Starring: Murray Alper , Leon Ames , Robert Barrat , Ward Bond , and Donald Curtis
Director: Ford, John
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0792841689
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

A Battle Lost but a War Won.......2007-08-10

They Were Expendable.......2007-07-09

Excellent and moving portrayal of America as we once were.......2007-06-26

Best WWII "Pacific Theatre" film ever made.......2007-05-21

John Fords finest hour.......2007-05-20

World War II 3-Pack (Destination Tokyo / Objective Burma / They Were Expendable)

Average customer rating:

World War II 3-Pack (Destination Tokyo / Objective Burma / They Were Expendable)
Starring: Warner 3pak
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

DVD:

DVD

DVD