BEACH RED

US, 1976, 105 minutes, Colour.
Cornel Wilde, Rip Torn, Burr de Benning, Jean Wallace.
Directed by Cornel Wilde.

Beach Red is a war film, an anti-war film, emerging from the American consciousness of the mid-1960s. This was the period of the early years of the war in Vietnam. 1968 would produce John Wayne’s The Green Berets. However, the focus of this film is on the war against Japan of twenty years earlier.

The film is often graphic in its presentation of war, reminding some audiences of the different versions of The Thin Red Line, with the war in Guadalcanal.

The film stars Cornel Wilde who is also its director. Wilde had made a number of offbeat films between 1955 and 1975 including, in the 50s, Storm Fear, The Devil’s Hairpin and Maracaibo. His more ambitious efforts during the 1960s including the Arthurian, Lancelot and Guinevere as well as the story of a hunted man in Africa, The Naked Prey. During the 1970s he made a film highlighting the crisis in the environment, No Blade of Grass.

1. How important an anti-war film? what impact against war would it make? The significance of the title and the overtone of red? The style of the film and its perspective on dying? The importance of the credit sequences and their childlike nature and happiness? The irony of the ballad being sung to this accompaniment? The use of memories throughout the film as a contrast to the war situation?

2. How important for the impact was it that a small war was presented? A microcosm, of the greater war? One day in the life of these soldiers, one small incident and campaign?

3. The objective of the small campaign was again small. How important was this for highlighting the meaning of war and its purpose? The fact that only a small distance was gained in the war? So many lives lost for this small distance? The fact that the soldiers did not understand the purpose of their mission? The need for trust in authorities that this is important for the overall campaign? What comment on war and the participation in war does this give? How necessary are such small campaigns in a total war?

4. The importance in the film of the small number of people seen? The fact that we knew a few people and their feeling intensely? Our ability then to extend this to all those involved in the war? A good technique for such films? Why? The interest in the small number of people? The use of voiceover commentary for the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters, the use of flashbacks, the style of the flashbacks, and the times they occurred? The paralleling of the small number of characters with the actual Japanese soldiers? The equivalent of the Japanese? Flashbacks and the emotional impact? The clash of ingenuity between the Americans and Japanese?

5. How strong was the film on realism? the preparation on the boat, the fears, sickness, feelings and thinking, the marines and the landing, the beach itself and the jungle, the patrols, and the length of time for morning and afternoon extended?

6. Impressions of the deaths in the film? The fact that so many were arbitrary? The number of people dying on the beach, the dramatic impact of the way they were filmed? Deaths by patrols? How arbitrary was death in the war situation?

7. Reactions to the massacre of the Japanese? The purpose of such a massacre? That the Americans would be massacred? What can justify such massacres?

8. The Captain a central figure for the film? The explanation of his career? The flashbacks to his wife and family? The love and happiness? Wounded? His treatment, contrasting with warfare? His treatment of the other men? The possibility of a good man remaining good within a war situation?

9. Contrasting him with the sergeant who was brutal? Does the ordinary soldier have such brutality in him? Such prejudice and a desire to kill?

10. How ordinary were Cliff and Egan? As revealed by their flashbacks? Cliff so young, the memory of his encounter with the girl etc.? Egan as older, seeming to be a father to Cliff, his memories of his girlfriends and the happiness this brought him? How typical the ordinary men? How much did they have? How much ordinary ingenuity during the battle, for survival, in relating to each other, on the patrol, the shock of Egan's death and its effect on Cliff? The fact of Cliff getting shot by the Japanese and shooting the Japanese? The involvement of the ordinary man in war end death?

11. How did this contrast with the soldier who wanted to return to base carrying the wounded man? His heroism?

12. How similar were the Japanese to the Americans? The commander with his photos and memories? The ordinary soldier with his memories? The disaster of the massacre for the commandeer and his suicide and his memories as he died?

13. The irony of the mutual shooting? What did Cliff and the Japanese learn as they lay dying? The dying of hatred? The sharing of the water canteen? The Japanese shot before our eyes? What effect would this have on him?

14. The major message of this anti-war film? How successful was it in communicating its message?