They Were Expendable

"A Tribute to Those Who Did So Much... With So Little!"

1945 2h 15m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 140

DramaWar

Synopsis

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After a demonstration of new PT boats, Navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. "Rusty" Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.

“A Tribute to Those Who Did So Much... With So Little!”

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Cast

Robert Montgomery
Lt. John Brickley
John Wayne
Lt. (J.G.) 'Rusty' Ryan
Donna Reed
Lt. Sandy Davyss
Jack Holt
General Martin
Ward Bond
"Boats" Mulcahey, Chief Boatswain's Mate
Marshall Thompson
Ens. 'Snake' Gardner
Paul Langton
Ens. 'Andy' Andrews
Leon Ames
Major James Morton

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Ford
Writers: Frank Wead, Christina Stead
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

81 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Ford, shot by Joseph H. August. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Herbert Stothart. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Douglass Biggs shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Robert Montgomery and John Wayne and Donna Reed carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A Tribute to Those Who Did So Much... With So Little!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0038160 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Ford directs. Joseph H. August behind the camera. Herbert Stothart scores. Douglass Biggs cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

181 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by John Ford, shot by Joseph H. August. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Herbert Stothart. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Douglass Biggs shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Robert Montgomery and John Wayne and Donna Reed carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A Tribute to Those Who Did So Much... With So Little!".
7IMDB entry: tt0038160 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 10 themes, including "navy", "based on novel or book", "world war ii", "pearl harbor".

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph H. August
Original score: Herbert Stothart
Editing: Douglass Biggs
Costume design: Yvonne Wood
Makeup / hair: Jack Dawn
Runtime: 135 min · 2h 15m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: They Were Expendable (1945)

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John Ford

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-07-07
★ 7/10
"Brick" (Robert Montgomery) is an US Navy lieutenant desperate to prove that his motorised torpedo boats can do more for the war effort than deliver the mail. Luckily, he's got "Rusty" (John Wayne) as his number two and plenty of opportunity to test their theories against the advancing Japanese as with things looking terrible for the Americans in Manila, they have their work cut out for them. Even though things are relentless and perilous, "Rusty" still finds time for a little romance with nurse "Sandy" (Donna Reed) and we've also got Ward Bond and a lively few scenes from "Dad" (Russell Simpson) to help keep the adventure focused. The film was co-written by "Spig" Wead - a man whom Wayne played in another John Ford feature "The Wings of Eagles" (1957) - so the narrative has a degree of authenticity as their forces are forced to retreat towards Australia. There are also some decent visual effects with plenty of action, (not so) near misses as Ford allows his three stars to tell this story in a far less jingoistic fashion than some of the more propagandist efforts made to bolster public support during WWII. Wayne turns on the charm here - with Reed and with the audience, and this works well.

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