MacArthur, The Rebel General [VHS]

"duty, honor, country" Those that are interested in General Douglas MacArthur, and admire his qualities of courage and fortitude, will find this film fascinating; it is beautifully filmed, with marvelous re-creations of the mid 20th century, and the battle scenes are very ...

Format : Color, HiFi Sound, Original recording reissued, NTSC
Publisher : Universal Studios
List Price: ~~$9.98~~
Our Price: $6.85
You Save: $3.13 (32%)
Used Price : $0.69

SimilarProduct

Customer reviews

"duty, honor, country" by .. Alejandra Vernon (Long Beach, California)
Those that are interested in General Douglas MacArthur, and admire his qualities of courage and fortitude, will find this film fascinating; it is beautifully filmed, with marvelous re-creations of the mid 20th century, and the battle scenes are very well done.
The speeches alone are a glory to listen to, full of passion for "duty, honor, and country", and the words are so exquisitely crafted they are like the finest prose.
The film starts and ends in MacArthur's beloved West Point, on a blustery day, as he speaks to the cadets, and is among the many memorable scenes; others are the landing on Layte, and the signing of Japan's surrender, on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, which is a fabulous re-staging of the historic event.

Gregory Peck gives a monumental portrayal of MacArthur; it is nuanced and brilliant, and from the old film clips I have seen of General MacArthur, subtly captures his posture and movement, with his many different pipes. This film is one of Peck's best, and it's sad it did not have more critical acclaim, as I feel it certainly deserved it.
Other terrific performances come from Marj Dusay as his wife Jean, Sandy Kenyon as General Jonathan Wainwright, and Ed Flanders as President Truman is quite exceptional; tough, gritty, and angered by MacArthur.

An excellent score by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by Mario Tosi complements the well-paced direction by Joseph Sargent. If it has a flaw, I feel the film makes too much of the publicity loving aspect of MacArthur's personality. Yes, he liked to use the media to his advantage, and most people who make history feel the same way no doubt...otherwise it is a fairly balanced depiction of one of the great men of the 20th century.

It is interesting to speculate what would have happened had General MacArthur been able to do what he thought was right, and not the "capitulation" and "immoral compromise with evil" he felt he was forced to accept. Perhaps over time millions of lives would have been saved, but I'm sure many would argue otherwise.
Total running time 130 minutes.
"A soldier above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war".

"Duty, Honor, and Country..." by .. Priscilla Stafford (Yokohama, Japan)
The movie "MacArthur", played by the great Gregory Peck, mainly takes place between the years 1942 through 1952, from MacArthur as a four star general to when he `retires' in the wake of Eisenhower's presidency. The movie takes you through MacArthur's historic events: leaving Corregidor, arriving in Australia saying those never to be forgotten words 'I shall return', island hopping back to the Philippines, on through the Korean War, then ultimately his retirement.

I cannot express in words how wonderful Peck's portrayal of MacArthur was. He WAS Douglas MacArthur in every sense of the man. He played the part of the historic figure perfectly; where he was beloved by people, yet at times could be so agressive, straightforward, and outspoken that he made people clench their teeth in annoyance of that man (how do you think he got the nickname, 'American Caesar'?). A truly gifted actor, Greogry Peck will forever fill my memories of 'THE actor who played one of the greatest men of all time.'

Setting aside Peck's performance, a few other honorable mentions are Marj Dusay as MacArthur's wife and Ed Flanders respectfully as Harry S. Truman. Dusay had few lines but instead, through her quiet courage and determination in standing by her husband's side shows indeed the importance she played as the faithful wife. Ed Flanders deserves much applause for his role as President Truman with a splendid performance as one of the many men who, though he hates MacArthur's guts, can't help admiring his military genius.

In the historical point of view, I felt that "MacArthur" was fairly accurate, especially the depictions of the Korean "Conflict" (War). It portrayed just how much of a 'political' war it had begun, especially with the Chinese making it into an international incident.

As for myself being half American-Japanese living in Japan, it was quite interesting to see how MacArthur began the reformation of Japan after WWII. I was also quite impressed with Yuki Shimoda playing the Prime Minister of Japan, and how he gave MacArthur full support in making sure that Japan could not again build a military force. That meeting between the Prime Minister and MacArthur was very touching to me.

After watching the film, I also couldn't help but feel somewhat sad seeing how the world has changed from the circumstances of the past. After the Korean War, where communism was allowed to take hold of North Korea, the situation between North Korean and Japan is now somewhat strained, what with various incidents including kidnapping and illegal transportations. It is sad to see in the movie how this would have been prevented if MacArthur had been given leeway to finish the Korean War with a sound victory instead of the unforgivable option, the "armistice."

All in all this is a wonderful movie that shouldn't be missed. There is one warning I would like to add which a few reviewers have also mentioned. The film is somewhat 'choppy' as in the plot moves along pretty swiftly. Unless you are very well informed about the years in which the movie takes place, there is a high possibility you would be lost as to what is going on. My suggestion is either 1) watch the movie with someone who understands the history of that time well, or 2) study the history before watching the movie. I can guarantee though that after watching "MacArthur", curiosity will overcome you and make you want to read more about those years.

*Rated PG for some war violence. But in any case, best watched by older teens and adults so that they know what is going on. I guess this will lean more towards being a 'guy' movie, though for any girl (like me) who loves good acting and is interested in history will most definitely like this movie*

I am proud to be the best general and I am right by .. Micheline Anne Montreuil (Quebec city in Canada)
This movie about the military carreer of General Douglas MacArthur from 1941 to 1953 is a very good one. You may like him or not but it not important. You may agree or disagree with his decisions but he has taken them. He was a great general and he was sure that he was always right. So, look at one of the mightest general of the U.S. Army. Is is a very good movie.

GOD BLESS GREGORY PECK!!! by .. Steven Hancock (Winston Salem, NC United States)
I watched this film as part of TCM's Salute to Gregory Peck, one of the greatest actors ever to grace the screen. He was great in the two versions of "Moby Dick" (as Ahab in the 1956 Version, and as Father Mapple in the 1998 USA Miniseries), and was excellent in "To Kill a Mockingbird." As for this film, Peck put his heart and soul into his portrayal of one of history's greatest military generals: General Douglas MacArthur. The scenes dealing with other people and events tend to lag at times, but Peck's outstanding performance and the epic battle scenes (featuring visual effects that are awesome for 1977) make this film a must-own!! Grade: A+

If you are a history buff, you will LOVE this movie.... by .. J. Hale (Chicago, IL)
Peck is excellent. The quotes from this movie coupled with the Ed Flanders's portray of Harry Truman, coupled with the accuracy of the film historically make this probably my all time favorite film. and the darn thing is on back order! Fudge.