The Marines

John Grant's handsomely-produced but dry PBS-aired documentary examines the “warrior culture” unique to the branch of the Armed Forces with the toughest reputation. Combining footage shot at various Marine Corps facilities around the country and interviews with past and present Marines, as well as authors and journalists, The Marines offers a detailed look at the training process, focusing on the inculcation of the particular ethos that makes Marines special among American fighting men and women. Questions put to “leathernecks” elicit remarkably uniform responses about the bonds a Marine develops—to his unit, to the Corps, to the country. The film also covers some of the key historical battles that have contributed to Marine Corps history, tradition, and lore, but the material is presented in a perfunctory manner, and a segment touching on the role of women in the Corps seems to have been shoehorned into the program for purposes of political correctness. DVD extras include a featurette on the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Optional. Aud: C, P. (E. Hulse)