Seven Brides for Uncle Sam

A product of the National Film Board of Canada (suggested motto: "we're expensive, but worth it"), this tape outlines what surely must have been the greatest gig in the annals of the U.S. military: being assigned to the Argentia or St. Anthony bases in Newfoundland, Canada. Whether awaiting Axis forces during World War II (they never came), or working with an aircraft warning system during the Cold War, these troops enjoyed a relatively peaceful life on the largest U.S. foreign military base. Well, maybe it wasn't so peaceful: the communities that were displaced when those 3,400 Canadian acres became U.S. soil, and the competition those troops afforded the local men (women-wise) surely caused some hard feelings along the way. Nonetheless, as many as 40,000 Newfoundland women married U.S. soldiers, and we are charmed by the tales of seven of them in this engaging story of romance, heartbreak, and joy. With interest in World War II on a bit of a high right now (thank you, Tom Brokaw, Steven Spielberg, and Roberto Benigni), this well-done tape should find a place in well-funded collections. Aud: H, C, P. (K. Glaser)