Whatever its flaws--stereotypes among soldiers, wartime propaganda using the Wake Island battle as symbolic of America's fight for freedom, weak comic relief--WAKE ISLAND is the kind of story Americans needed to hear during the height of WWII. It begins just before the Pearl Harbor attack when the men were losing their morale to fight against the Japs, then changes once American ships and servicemen are attacked in sneaky fashion at Pearl, to become a story of fighting men who want to avenge what F.D.R. called "a day of infamy".

Forcefully directed by John Farrow, it's a gritty, realistic war drama given occasional relief by ROBERT PRESTON and WILLIAM BENDIX as a pair of squabbling soldiers arguing over re-enlistment. BRIAN DONLEVY plays Maj. Caton with steely-eyed determination and a large male cast of upcoming actors and future stars fills the supporting cast: ALBERT DEKKER, MADONALD CAREY, ROD CAMERON, WALTER ABEL, DANE CLARK, PHILIP TERRY and FRANK FAYLEN.

Similar in content to BATAAN, which also told of American losses against overwhelming odds and had a downbeat ending, the true story of Wake Island is even more downbeat than the film hints. Brutal stories of torture at the hands of Japanese military awaited many who survived the assault on the small island in the Pacific. But that's something you can learn about at The History Channel.

Summing up: A reminder of what sort of films Americans were looking at during the height of WWII--you have to view it in that context.

That's actually a quote from the battle at Bunker Hill, but it is repeated here to make the point that fooling and surprising your enemy is often the best way to proceed in war. This is World War II, and practically the entire world gathered together to destroy three enemy nations.

A tiny island in the Pacific far from Hawaii, Wake Island is set up by the American military before the days of Pearl Harbor. They are ironically visited by a creepy looking Japanese diplomat who the audience knows from the very moment that he opens his mouth that he is lying through his teeth. Just days later, Pearl Harbor is attacked which shocks but prepares them for a strike.

Great battle scenes showed movie audiences what the boys were doing over there, although these soldiers are definitely all man. A cast of Paramount's top male contract players cone together in what really was the first great war movie dealing with combat.

Certainly made with the propaganda machine in mind, this lacks the clichés of later films, and therefore, it remains one of the most important movies made about the second World War.

Many of the actors became bigger stars much later, so therefore, it is difficult to recognize such familiar faces as Robert Preston and Macdonald Carey unless you are searching for them. The stars are second priority, however, as this is where the story is the star. Still, already popular character performers like Wiiam Bendix and Brian Donlevy do give unique characterizations. So raise your Memorial and Veterans Day flag, and enjoy a film that came out awfully fast after the war began but didn't cheat the viewer. It is superb.

Calling this movie a propaganda film is no insult--it was released very shortly after the actual fall of Wake Islan and was an effective way to put a face on these doomed defenders and energize the people at home in the war effort. Since it was completed so quickly, the exact details of the final doomed days of the soldiers was a bit murky so the studio filled in the gaps with fictionalized accounts of this struggle.

The film begins just before December 7, 1941 and the island is in the process of being turned into a military base. Civilian engineers and soldiers cover the barren island and they are unaware that they were directly in harm's way. Soon, the troops on the island would face invasion and annihilation.

As I said, the individual accounts of heroism were fictionalized through the creation of some characters such as those played by William Bendix and Robert Preston (who seem like an old married couple with their banter) as well Albert Dekker (who, as usual, plays a loudmouth patriot), Brian Donlevy and Macdonald Carey. The acting was very effective even though by today's standards some of the stories seem a bit clichéd--they were perfect for the time.

While far from one of the very best war films made during WWII, it was better than average and is well worth a look. Excellent quality and a rousing script make for a very good film.

A final note because I am an aviation nut. I hated one part of the film--the aerial scenes were often bad, as monoplanes (with a single wing) often magically became biplanes in mid-air (with two wings). While I could forgive them making Japanese planes that looked nothing like the real thing, having them change so radically in mid-flight was unforgivable. Did they think the audiences wouldn't notice?