MacArthur (1977 film)

MacArthur
MacArthur
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joseph Sargent
Written by	Hal Barwood; Matthew Robbins
Produced by	Frank McCarthy
Starring	Gregory Peck; Ed Flanders; Dan O'Herlihy
Cinematography	Mario Tosi
Edited by	George Jay Nicholson
Music by	Jerry Goldsmith
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	July 15, 1977;
Running time	130 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$9 million
Box office	$16,320,000 (US)

MacArthur is a 1977 American biographical war film directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Gregory Peck in the eponymous role as American General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.

Plot

The film portrays MacArthur's (Gregory Peck) life from 1942, before the Battle of Bataan, to 1952, the time after he had been removed from his Korean War command by President Truman (Ed Flanders) for insubordination, and is recounted in flashback as he visits West Point in 1962.

Cast

Gregory Peck as General of the Army Douglas MacArthur
Ed Flanders as President Harry S. Truman
Dan O'Herlihy as President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Ivan Bonar as Lieutenant General Richard K. Sutherland
Ward Costello as General of the Army George C. Marshall
Nicolas Coster as Colonel Sidney Huff
Marj Dusay as Mrs. Jean MacArthur
Art Fleming as W. Averell Harriman
Russell Johnson as Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King
Sandy Kenyon as Lieutenant General Jonathan M. Wainwright
Robert Mandan as Representative Martin
Allan Miller as Colonel LeGrande A. Diller
Dick O'Neill as Major General Courtney Whitney
G. D. Spradlin as Major General Robert L. Eichelberger
Addison Powell as Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
James Shigeta (deleted scenes) as General Tomoyuki Yamashita

Production

According to Gregory Peck, "I admit that I was not terribly happy with the script they gave me, or with the production they gave me which was mostly on the back lot of Universal. I thought they shortchanged the production."^[3]

Factual errors

In a meeting in Pearl Harbor between U.S. President Roosevelt, Admiral Nimitz, and MacArthur to discuss East Asian strategy, MacArthur points to Lingayen Gulf in Western Luzon, calling it Leyte Gulf, and referring to it as the site of his re-entry to the Philippines. The Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Leyte, which included MacArthur's first return to Philippine soil on 20 October 1944, were in the Visayas, the archipelagic Central Philippines. The Invasion of Lingayen Gulf, with MacArthur making a similarly dramatic landing in the main island of Luzon, occurred on January 9, 1945.
Prior to the Inchon landing the film shows an aircraft on bombing run. The footage used shows an F-4 Phantom II aircraft. The F-4 did not enter service with the United States until 1960.^{[citation needed]}
In the parade scene in the beginning, female cadets are shown marching in the formation. That speech was given in 1962. Female cadets were not admitted to West Point until 1976.^[4]
On the ship's stateroom wall during the Pearl Harbor FDR, Nimitz, and MacArthur meeting, is a painting of the Baltimore Class Heavy Cruiser USS Los Angeles (CA-135), which was commissioned 22 July 1945, too late for WW2, but won 5 Battle Stars for the Korean War.
The uniform of the Soviet Lieutenant General Kuzma N. Derevyanko in the movie erroneously presented with the shoulder boards of a Soviet Senior Lieutenant instead of a Lieutenant General (https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/+AlexanderViduetsky/albums/6019713833874765057).

Reception

MacArthur received mixed reviews, it currently holds a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[5]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

2003: AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains:
- General Douglas MacArthur – Nominated Hero^[6]

References

^ THE NEW TYCOONS OF HOLLYWOOD: THE DAY OF THE ALMIGHTY MOGUL IS OVER. NOW MOVIEMAKING IS IN THE HANDS OF PACKAGERS AND BUDGET-WATCHERS WHO ARE THE HIRED HANDS OF THE CONGLOMERATES THAT OWN THE STUDIOS. AND WHAT THEY'RE AFTER IS BLOCKBUSTERS. By Robert Lindsey. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 07 Aug 1977: SM4.
^ "MacArthur (1977) - Box office / business". Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
^ Gregory Peck Interview with Jimmy Carter on YouTube
^ Wansley, Joy. "The First Women Graduates of West Point Say with Pride: It Was Tough but We Survived". People.com. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
^ MacArthur at Rotten Tomatoes
^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-06.

External links

[1] THE NEW TYCOONS OF HOLLYWOOD: THE DAY OF THE ALMIGHTY MOGUL IS OVER. NOW MOVIEMAKING IS IN THE HANDS OF PACKAGERS AND BUDGET-WATCHERS WHO ARE THE HIRED HANDS OF THE CONGLOMERATES THAT OWN THE STUDIOS. AND WHAT THEY'RE AFTER IS BLOCKBUSTERS. By Robert Lindsey. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 07 Aug 1977: SM4.

[2] "MacArthur (1977) - Box office / business". Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-10-26.

[3] Gregory Peck Interview with Jimmy Carter on YouTube

[4] Wansley, Joy. "The First Women Graduates of West Point Say with Pride: It Was Tough but We Survived". People.com. Retrieved 2013-11-11.

[5] MacArthur at Rotten Tomatoes

[6] "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-06.

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