Today, April 18, marks the anniversary of the taking off of the Doolittle Raiders from the carrier Hornet in 1942. The object of their highly secret mission: Bomb Tokyo! The Purple Heart (1944) is a film based on the true story of a portion of these pilots, who bailed out over China, fell into Japanese hands, were put on trial, imprisoned, and tortured. Few movies demonstrate American courage and its victorious struggle against tyranny better than this one.
There is something very captivating about the story of these eight brave Americans; something that makes you lean forward in your seat. From the very beginning of the movie, we can see that what the Japanese call a “trial” (regarding the airmen’s supposed war crimes) is being held in a kangaroo court. “This is a lynching,” one of the airmen remarks; and before long the question the Americans ask themselves has become: How can we die with honor for our country?
“Need I remind you,” the airmen are told by the Japanese general determined to make them give more than name, rank, and serial number; “a chain is no stronger than its weakest link.” One by one the bomber crew are tortured by the Japanese, who hope they will give up the information they most want to know: Did the Americans come from an aircraft carrier? We, as watchers, believe in their courage and patriotism so wholeheartedly by the end, that we are sure the chain will not snap and never will. The Japanese, by beating them down, only strengthened their resolve to remain true to their country, and to themselves.
The fictional main character, Captain Ross (played by Dana Andrews) is a very ordinary man, but one not afraid to speak boldly and with sarcasm to his enemies (“From what I hear of your soldiers they fight like cornered rats—No offense, General”) or to visibly hold his chin high in their presence. He is not eloquent perhaps, but his simple speech to the court has no need of any elegance injected by a professional speechwriter. “It’s true we Americans don’t know very much about you Japanese. And we never did. But this is your war—you wanted it!” Ross continues, “Soon the sky will be so dark with American bombers that you won’t be able to see the sunlight!”
There is always cause to get Americans fired up when patriotism is involved, and The Purple Heart is no exception. At least three reviewers of the film have mentioned that the Liberal Left would despise this movie—if they ever took the time to watch it. “You could not make a movie like this today,” notes one reviewer, “because the portrayal of the Japanese as barbaric animals who revel in torture would be seen as unacceptable. Liberals would cry ‘You are depersonalizing them.’ Who cares? It was WWII, the Japanese had bombed pearl Harbor. . . and killed Americans in the Bataan death march. Nobody much cared about their sensitivities.”[i] Another adds, “Most left-winged people, who hate patriotism, honour and everything that wears uniform, will not like this film.”[ii]
The values in this movie are invaluable. The ideals for which these Americans stand for are admirable. And besides patriotism, The Purple Heart also displays something that seems to be going extinct: manliness. This movie should be watched because it will produce a higher standard of patriotism and courage in those who view it. It is not prattle, platitudes, or pettiness; rather, it is a monument that helps us to remember those who defended this great nation. The film can never be dated.
For movie synopsis, click here.
Bibliography:
The Purple Heart. Dir. Lewis Milestone. With Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, Farley Granger, Kevin O’Shea, and Don ‘Red’ Barry. 20th Century Fox, 1944.
[i] Amazon.com reviews for The Purple Heart, accessed 4/17/2023. Review by H. A. Friedman. See https://www.amazon.com/Purple-Heart-Dana-Andrews/dp/B000MGBLJ6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=100B6QB826CQV&keywords=the+purple+heart+1944&qid=1681824787&s=movies-tv&sprefix=the+purple+heart+194%2Cmovies-tv%2C156&sr=1-1
[ii] Amazon.com reviews for The Purple Heart, accessed 4/17/2023. Review by Darth Maciek (United Kingdom). See https://www.amazon.com/Purple-Heart-Dana-Andrews/dp/B000MGBLJ6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=100B6QB826CQV&keywords=the+purple+heart+1944&qid=1681824787&s=movies-tv&sprefix=the+purple+heart+194%2Cmovies-tv%2C156&sr=1-1
