On P List of Movie Reviews
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The Proud and Profane (1956)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
9/26
9/26:
It's really hard not to think of From Here to Eternity and
The Bridge on the River Kwai
while watching The Proud and Profane.
In fact, this film makes for a perfect backstory of how Karen Holmes met Dynamite and agreed to be trapped
in an unhappy marriage before looking Burt Lancaster's way in Pearl Harbor. Of course, the timeline is off by
a year, but this does make perfect sense, yeah?
Then, there's Commander Shears who did some fighting in the Pacific Islands before being captured and sent to a
POW camp in Ceylon. Shall we now play the tune of "Colonel Bogey March" to commence the building of the bridge?
At any rate, the brownfaced William Holden is completely miscast. When I heard that his character was
supposed to be a Blackfoot Indian, I scoffed. A better choice would've been Robert Mitchum. As a bonus, he could
claim it for real. Their pairing would mark the first of five films together.
The Proud and Profane is interesting in parts with fine cinematography that's actually shot on location
in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and San Juan, Puerto Rico, picking up an Academy Award nomination for Art
Direction-Set Decoration (Black-and-White), but much of it is a talky snoozefest with low emotional impact.
Whenever Thelma Ritter shows up, she steals the film. Ditto for Adam Williams as Eustace at the cemetery.
Deborah Kerr gives a strong performance from start to finish and thus can't be faulted.
All in all, the following three films should be seen in order: The Proud and Profane,
From Here to Eternity, and
The Bridge on the River Kwai.