Review of So Proudly We Hail (1943) by Kate C — 23 Aug 2008

The movie that made me fall in love with old movies.

Propagandic? Perhaps, but also filled with social relevance and the more I learn about what went on behind the scenes and what wasn't said or what part of these women's lives wasn't told, the more I appreciate the importance of this movie both as a depiction of society at the time and as a pathway towards learning about the reality of women's lives during the war.

I recommend watching this movie followed by "Three Came Home", which also stars Claudette Colbert but was made after the war and based on a novel of a British POW in the South Pacific.

I also recommend reading "We Band of Angels", the 'real' story of the surviving nurses of Bataan... note with particular interest how negatively they view this movie.

PS: An interesting note about this movie is that one of the male leads is John Reeves ... the father of Christopher Reeves and the original Superman. Bear in mind when you hear the Superman references during the movie ;).

Also, this is the only role I've seen Veronica Lake in where I felt she was a true actress. Its worth seeing if only for that.

Last note: the 'special effects' in this movie have always impressed me.