Guadalcanal Diary

Based on Richard Tregaskis' best-seller, this 1943 morale booster based on the eyewitness accounts of a journalist who landed on Guadalcanal in 1942 with the first detachment of Marines, serves up a harmonious blend of races and creeds, from Corporal Taxi Potts (William Bendix) to Private Jesus "Soose" Alvarez (Anthony Quinn). The dialogue is gung-ho ("they're a great bunch of kids," an officer says, regarding his as-yet-untested squad, "they'll do alright"), and the use of actual battle footage lends a harrowing authenticity. More politically correct viewers may wince, however, at the portrayal of the "Japs" (or "squint-eyes" as they are called), who are presented as godless cowards and brutal savages. A beachfront siege that decimates one American squad is particularly horrific. Still, as a genre classic, this is recommended. (K. Lee Benson)