The Gallant Hours (1960)

Fleet Adm. William F. Halsey Jr. (James Cagney) takes over as Guadalcanal heats up. He faces the Japanese forces at the height of their power under the command of Yamamoto.The intriguing aspect of this war movie is the lack of action scenes. This is unique among big American war movies. There is plenty of military hardware but the whiz bang has been left off-screen. The Japanese characters speak without subtitles. There is a constant narration throughout the movie. The overall effect is an air of authenticity. There are some lighter moments which may be ill-advised. This movie does better concentrating on the details of the events and planning but it needs a consistent map showing the units involved. I like the general idea if not always the result.

A look at the senior officers in Halsey's fleet and under his command. However, it was strangely uninvolving, since we knew that the U.S. won the war, won the battle for Guadalcanal, and that Halsey survived the war and retired a four star admiral. What almost ruined the movie for me was the too reverent chorus that played throughout the movie, which would have more suitable in a movie about Jesus Christ or one of the saints. The wa wa chorus was actually intrusive at times and I found myself grimacing when it started up.

As a retired Marine Colonel, I have to say this movie contains one of the best lessons in leadership a movie could ever offer. Richard Jaeckel as (LCDR Webb) comes to ADM Halsey's (Cagney) state room to tell him he doesn't want command of his squadron because of the planes shot down that day and the men killed including its' commanding officer because he doesn't want the responsibility. Halsey explains as commander, he lost the same C.O. plus two destroyers and several hundred other men and he's not resigning. Along with the movie "Twelve O'Clock High" - "The Gallant Hours" is a great lesson in leadership because the commanders fore the men under their command to take stock of both the situation as well as their responsibilities.

The question of this movie's lack of action scenes has come up, and the point was made that the movie works as a "tutorial" or history lesson. Well, if that's the case, poetic license goes out the window and the movie must be judged more stringently on one central criterion-- does it get the facts right.As history has sorted things out, serious questions have arisen about Halsey's competence at Guadalcanal, and the consensus seems to be that he was found wanting. The greatest tactical error he made was in falling for a Japanese ruse, and sending his main force on a long chase northward, away from the scene where the actual battle unfolded.I know a movie made in 1960 can't be expected to emphasize a "hero's" shortcomings, but the issue did come up in 1944, and Nimitz seriously considered whether Halsey should remain in command of his battle group. That deliberation was well known, and its omission was a deliberate choice by the movie makers.In 1960 sanitized biographies of war heroes was par for the course-- to take a "warts and all" approach would've distinguished this film and, I believe, made it a better one.