The Naked and the Dead *** (1958, Aldo Ray, Cliff Robertson, Raymond Massey, William Campbell, Richard Jaeckel, James Best, Joey Bishop) – Classic Movie Review 6514

Director Raoul Walsh’s 1958 filming of Norman Mailer’s famous bestselling novel is typically rugged and robust.

The story is about a platoon of American soldiers in the Pacific during World Wat Two who are steadily whittled down by the enemy as they try to mount an assault on a Pacific island.

It is unsteadily written (by Denis Sanders and Terry Sanders) and hesitantly, sometimes unconvincingly acted, with the notable cast tending to portray easy stereotypes – sadistic sergeant Sam Croft (Also Ray), rich lieutenant Robert Hearn (Cliff Robertson), witty Jewish Roth (Joey Bishop), blinkered general Cummings (Raymond Massey). But then you cannot blame the actors, for that is how the script is crafted.

The censorship standards and movie conventions of the day forced the RKO studio to tone down the book’s language and brutalities, and the movie would be very different today. If the film is a disappointment, Walsh’s commanding direction, the fine action scenes (shot in Panama), Bernard Herrmann’s stirring score and the compelling support performances are the main, very considerable, compensations.

Also in the cast are William Campbell, Richard Jaeckel, James Best, Robert Gist, Barbara Nichols, Jerry Paris, L Q Jones, Casey Adams, Lili St Cyr, Max Showalter, John Beradino, Edward McNally, Greg Roman, Henry Amargo, Norman Grabowski and Grace Lee Whitney.

It is shot in Technicolor by Joseph LaShelle, produced by Paul Gregory and designed by Ted Haworth.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6514

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