Audience Member
More of a character study than a war film, and very uneven because of it; from a short story by Philip Roth(!).
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The only two survivors of an attack on a Japanese island during World War II, a Christian and a Jew, must collaborate to ensure their survival. On the one hand, this war drama is intense; on the other there are plenty of faults, from a dull second part to the lack of psychological depth, which is mortifying for a film that should have been based around it.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/24/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A tale of survival. Powerful, raw emotion. A real "twilight zone" type film, with lots of thinking involved by the two American marines that get stranded on an island full of Japanese. While pretty lame in the beach battle at the beginning, after that it does far better.
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In order to meet the challenge of a Japanese bombing of their island outpost, two soldiers, a Christian and a Jew, must put aside their differences and find a way to work together. Caring Moe helps his seriously wounded comrade to some form of health. But mental health is another problem beyond his help.
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Wise cracking Moe (veteran actor Richard Devon), who appears to be the most confident GI on the planet, has not much to do with God. His wounded buddy who is basically helpless, believes in prayer. Together for 7 months they start off not knowing each other, but by the end bicker, fight and make up several times. They actually seem married by film's end.
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This is a war movie that becomes about two men stranded on an island. Moe is an accountant by profession, but he finds himself helping a wounded soldier that he saved on the beach. Arriving on an island full of enemy soldiers, the squad was cut down in the start of the film. The rest is about the two surviving and not losing their minds.
This is very touching movie, one that makes us think what we would do in similar circumstances. Its just one hell of a movie. It explores what it is like to kill another person, which Moe finds out is not heroic or good.
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Unusual WWII film, this should be watched by any person wanting to know just what it is like to be stranded on an island under hostile circumstances. Worse, dealing with the possibility of being stranded forever.
SEE a clip of the film here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw_a0cWdYLI
SEE the entire film at:
http://www.archive.org/details/BattleofBloodIsland
NOTES about the film:
1 Battle of Blood Island is a 1960 American World War II war film filmed in Puetro Rico. It was directed by Joel Rapp and based on the 1958 short story Expect the Vandals by Philip Roth.
2 Written by Philip Roth, author of the famous novel "Portnoy's Complaint". In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Portnoy's Complaint 52nd on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. Time included this novel in its "TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005".
3 The film is based on Philip Roth's short story "Expect the Vandals", published in Esquire Magazine, December 1958.
REVIEWS of the film:
1 "This is more of a psychological film as opposed to the typical war film. Yeah, there is lots of fighting and killing but what happens internally to the two stranded GIs is what the movie is all about. I found that it kept my interest very well indeed and wish I could have given it a 7 and a half. The actor playing Moe was really good and his face is pretty recognizable. He played lots of heavies and gangsters back in the sixties."
2 I'll make this short, this is one weird but typical low-budget World War 2 film with the legendry Roger Corman appearing....
3 Reasonably tense war drama, it's low budget but well done. Some of the cinematography is a little crude, but the acting is fine.
Cast
Richard Devon as Moe
Ron Kennedy as Ken
Directed by Joel Rapp
Produced by Stanley Bickman
Written by Joel Rapp
Philip Roth (story "Expect the Vandals")
Music by Fred Katz
Cinematography Jacques R. Marquette
Editing by Carlo Lodato
Release date(s) 1963
Runtime:USA: 64 min
Sound Mix:Mono
Color:Black and White
[img]http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS8-FZRncfNZ5Eh65J6u1joIbav2VhYAYiv3ZT9YOpT2kN0mBINGg[/img]
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
Full Review
Audience Member
BATTLE OF BLOOD ISLAND [1960] I'll make this short, this is one weird but typical low-budget World War 2 film with the legendry Roger Corman appearing at this movies end. This film blends a possible thrilling story with a dull delivery; the movie opens on some cheesy low budget of the American Pacific campaign against the Japanese in WW2. After that interesting opening the rest of the film is an utter drag, the Plot involves an American campaign on a small pacific island being crushed by the Japanese forces on the island and only two American marines survive. The two, a wounded Marine called Ken and the other Moe now hide in a cave in the hope they will be saved by their forces. In the meantime Moe fights off any Japanese solider, fishes and has to hear (much like the audience) ken constantly calls out "Moe...Moe... Moe" close to 100 times throughout this film.
Overall this is one dull, corny and kind of funny but also annoying and forgettable World War 2 melodrama. Rating for this film is a slim 50%.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Reasonably tense war drama, it's low budget but well done. Some of the cinematography is a little crude, but the acting is fine. The score is a bit much.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
Full Review
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