IMDb RATING
6.6/10
2.3K
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The story of a large U.S. Marines invasion task force bound for Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in 1942.The story of a large U.S. Marines invasion task force bound for Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in 1942.The story of a large U.S. Marines invasion task force bound for Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in 1942.
Eddie Acuff
- Pvt. Tex Mcllvoy
- (uncredited)
Warren Ashe
- Col. Morton
- (uncredited)
Martin Black
- Marine
- (uncredited)
Marion Carl
- Marine Pilot
- (uncredited)
Harry Carter
- Dispatch Officer
- (uncredited)
Tom Dawson
- Captain
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMarine Corps Capt. Marion Carl, a multi-ace (18.5 air victories), makes an appearance as a Marine Corps pilot. Capt. Carl wears his baseball cap with the bill pointed skyward and makes the comment, "Don't look now, fellas, but a truck of gas just came on the field." Capt. Carl was a survivor of the Battle of Midway and the air campaign for Guadalcanal in 1942. He was awarded 2 Navy Crosses for his actions at Midway and Guadalcanal. Sadly, on June 28, 1998, he was murdered in his Oregon home by a home intruder.
- GoofsWhen Japanese snipers hid in the tops of trees, they tied themselves into their positions. They did not fall out of the trees when shot.
- Quotes
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts: [In dugout waiting out a heavy artillery barrage] I don't mind the one with my name on it. It's the one that says, 'To whom it may concern' that I don't like.
[after the barrage increases]
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts: They're throwing everything at us but the kitchen stove.
Gunnery Sgt. Hook Malone: [after an even louder explosion] That's the stove now!
- Crazy creditsThe film's opening prologue in the preface of a book states: A new chapter in the history of America by a correspondent who landed on Guadalcanal with the first detachment of United States Marines.
- ConnectionsEdited into All This and World War II (1976)
- SoundtracksMarine Hymn
(uncredited)
Music by Jacques Offenbach from "Geneviève de Brabant"
Played during the opening credits and occasionally in the score
Featured review
This is a little gem of a movie with a fine ensemble cast!
This is a tremendous World War II film with amazing performances. The director, Lewis Seiler, and the writer of the screenplay, Lamar Trotti, must have really been on their toes to come up with this little gem from a book by Richard Tregaskis. The quality of "Guadalcanal" is amazing from the special effects and location shots to the cinematography and the dialogue. Sometimes less is more and this movie demonstrates that in portraying the violence of war realistically without being extremely graphic. The only minor flaw I saw in the special effects was when a few soldiers were killed by grenades or bombs and they seemed to fall over from the blast a tad bit too quickly. This movie uses an ensemble cast of actors to tell the story of a platoon of U.S. marines sent to Guadalcanal to fight the Japanese in the South Pacific Ocean. The focus is not as much on the fighting and battles as it is on the men themselves in the context of war, although there are several terrific scenes of fighting and skirmishes that propel the movie along at an excellent pace. "Guadalcanal" is in glorious black and white film and is crisp and clear. Many scenes from the movie are so vivid that they have lingered in my mind long after watching the movie. I can recall vividly the palm trees on the beach, the sound of the men singing, the men lounging on the deck of the ship, Japanese soldiers being blown up in a cave and falling out of trees, the faces and expressions of the men and on and on. This movie not only stood up to a second viewing but also seemed even better the second time around. I can't praise the actors enough who breathe life into this movie and who make their characters so easy to get to know that this sixty year old movie seems like it was made yesterday. Watch this movie and see how these men respond to battle in "Guadalcanal." It's an experience not to be missed. I highly recommend it and give it a 92/100. I purchased the DVD for my collection.
helpful•247
- marxsarx
- Feb 17, 2003
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Richard Tregaskis' Guadalcanal Diary
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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![Anthony Quinn, William Bendix, Richard Conte, Preston Foster, and Lloyd Nolan in Guadalcanal Diary (1943)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTU3ZjNmMGMtMjUwNi00YzE0LTgzOWUtYmZhOTdmZDFkYzlhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUwMzI2NzU@._V1_QL75_UY133_CR1,0,90,133_.jpg)