Task Force (1949)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Delmer Daves

Writer:

Delmer Daves (written by)

Release Date:

31 March 1950 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Plot:

After learning the finer points of carrier aviation in the 1920s, career officer Jonathan Scott and...

Plot Keywords:

Navy | Aircraft Carrier | 1920s | Aviation | Color Sequence

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Jonathan L. Scott
Jane Wyatt	...	Mary Morgan
Wayne Morris	...	McKinney
Walter Brennan	...	Pete Richard
Julie London	...	Barbara McKinney
Bruce Bennett	...	McCluskey
Jack Holt	...	Captain Reeves
Stanley Ridges	...	Sen. Bentley
John Ridgely	...	Dixie Rankin
Richard Rober	...	Lt. Jack Southern
Art Baker	...	Sen. Vincent
Moroni Olsen	...	Adm. Ames
Ray Montgomery	...	Pilot
Harlan Warde	...	Timmy Kissell

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor) (some sequences) | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #13553) | Finland:K-12

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

In the film, Gary Cooper is offered a copy of the book "A Farewell To Arms" by a fellow officer. Cooper starred in the 1932 film adaptation of Hemingway's novel.

Goofs:

Continuity: The same shot of the F4F on which the number is 43 painted is used twice just minutes apart. The plane is making a diving turn to port.

Movie Connections:

References A Farewell to Arms (1932)

Soundtrack:

O Christmas Tree

Realistic stuff, and a tribute to heroes

This film depicts the reality of war, better than the turn of the century films, like Pearl Harbor and Saving Private Ryan. The kamikaze attacks what looked like the USS Franklin are very realistic, as were the attacks on JNS Akagi. It also shows realistic views of the USS Missouri in action in the storming of Okinawa. The film just shows Americans in their best light, fighting against the odds, and their own superiors at the same time. Not like Operation Overlord and the Ardennes Offensive, battles more often depicted, which by comparison were cakewalks where the outcome was never in doubt. In this movie, the Japanese are also seen as being a creditable and respected adversaries.

Gary Cooper is much more convincing as a WW2 leader than say, Ben Affleck. The leaders at the time were modest men, just doing a job. There was also a lot of technical planning involved in WW2, not just gungho American soldiers and sailors in continuous and unrealistic action. It is also far more dangerous at sea than on land, as you can't go anywhere. The danger element and the general communication between the CVs was bought out well in this movie.

This film is a historical recounting of the greatest naval episode of all time.