MacArthur
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MacArthur is a 1977 American biographical war film directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Gregory Peck in the eponymous role as American General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.

Plot

The film portrays MacArthur s (Gregory Peck) life from 1942, before the Battle of Bataan in World War II, to 1952, after he had been removed from his Korean War command by President Harry Truman (Ed Flanders) for insubordination. It is recounted in flashback as MacArthur visits West Point in 1962.

Cast

  • Gregory Peck as General of the Army Douglas MacArthur
  • Ed Flanders as President Harry S. Truman
  • Dan O Herlihy as President Franklin D. Roosevelt
  • Ivan Bonar as Lieutenant General Richard K. Sutherland
  • Ward Costello as General of the Army George C. Marshall
  • Nicolas Coster as Colonel Sidney Huff
  • Marj Dusay as Mrs. Jean MacArthur
  • Art Fleming as W. Averell Harriman
  • Russell Johnson as Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King
  • Sandy Kenyon as Lieutenant General Jonathan M. Wainwright
  • Robert Mandan as Representative Martin
  • Allan Miller as Colonel LeGrande A. Diller
  • Dick O Neill as Major General Courtney Whitney
  • G. D. Spradlin as Major General Robert L. Eichelberger
  • Addison Powell as Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
  • Garry Walberg as Lieutenant General Walton Walker
  • James Shigeta (deleted scenes) as General Tomoyuki Yamashita

Production

Gregory Peck said, I admit that I was not terribly happy with the script they gave me, or with the production they gave me which was mostly on the back lot of Universal. I thought they shortchanged the production.

Historical inaccuracies

  • In a meeting in Pearl Harbor between President Roosevelt, Admiral Nimitz, and MacArthur to discuss East Asian strategy, MacArthur points to Lingayen Gulf in Western Luzon, calling it Leyte Gulf and referring to it as the site of his re-entry to the Philippines. The Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Leyte, which included MacArthur s first return to Philippine soil on 20 October 1944, were in the Visayas, in Central Philippines. The Invasion of Lingayen Gulf, with MacArthur making a similarly-dramatic landing in the main island of Luzon, occurred on January 9, 1945.
  • On the ship s stateroom wall of the Roosevelt, Nimitz, and MacArthur meeting on Pearl Harbor is a painting of the Baltimore-class heavy cruiser USS Los Angeles. However, it was commissioned only on 22 July 1945 and so was not used for World War II. However, it won five battle stars during the Korean War.
  • The uniform of the Soviet Lieutenant General Kuzma N. Derevyanko is erroneously presented with the shoulder boards of a Soviet senior lieutenant instead of a lieutenant general.
  • The Japanese surrender of World War II scene aboard USS Missouri (BB-63) shows the battleship s 40 mm quad guns covered (mothballed) during the movie.
  • When MacArthur and his aides are planning the U.N. landing at Inchon in 1950, they review a map of the Korean peninsula which shows the current armistice line dividing the two Koreas. That line would not be established until 1953. Their map should have been showing the original line at the 38th parallel.

Reception

MacArthur received mixed reviews, it currently holds a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in the following lists:

  • 2003: AFI s 100 Years…100 Heroes & Villains: General Douglas MacArthur – Nominated Hero
  • General Douglas MacArthur – Nominated Hero

Year 1977
ReleaseDate 1977-07-15
RuntimeMins 130
RuntimeStr 2h 10min
Plot Biopic of General Douglas MacArthur covering his war exploits during WW2 and the Korean War.
Awards Awards, 1 nomination
Directors Joseph Sargent
Writers Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins
Stars Gregory Peck, Dan O’Herlihy, Ed Flanders
Produced by David Brown,Frank McCarthy,Richard D. Zanuck
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Cinematography by Mario Tosi
Film Editing by George Jay Nicholson
Production Design by John J. Lloyd
Set Decoration by Hal Gausman
Costume Design by Larry Harmell
Makeup Department Michael Corsentino,Frank McCoy,James Lee McCoy
Production Management James Nicholson,Ernest B. Wehmeyer,Charles Clement
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director Scott Maitland,Don Zepfel,Charles Norton,Candace Suerstedt
Art Department Bob Skemp,Kurt V. Hulett,Benjamin Resella,Daniel Turk
Sound Department Robert L. Hoyt,Dennis C. Salcedo,Don Sharpless,James Troutman,George E. Marshall Jr.
Special Effects by Frank L. Pope,Ted Koerner
Visual Effects by Dennis Glouner,Bill Taylor,Albert Whitlock,Syd Dutton,Henry Schoessler
Stunts Joe Canutt,Peter Horak,Kim Kahana,Bob Minor,Jimmy Nickerson,Branscombe Richmond,Walter Robles
Camera and Electrical Department Pat Campea Jr.,Tony Rivetti,Dustin Blauvelt,Tom Bookout,Richard E. Brooks,Joseph Cosko Jr.,Joel King,Randall Robinson,Michael Simpson
Music Department London Symphony Orchestra,Morrie McNaughton,Jerry Goldsmith,The Hollywood Studio Symphony,Malcolm McNab,Arthur Morton,Emil Richards,Dan Wallin
Transportation Department Edward Cook,Tony Drosis,Chuck Martinez,Frank Khoury
Additional Crew D. Clayton James,John Nyhuus,Paul LeClair,Adam Parfrey
Genres Biography, Drama, History
Companies Universal Pictures
Countries USA
Languages English
ContentRating PG
ImDbRating 6.5
ImDbRatingVotes 4724
Keywords character name as title,douglas macarthur character,quoting shakespeare's othello,timeframe 1940s,timeframe 1950s