Tara and I watched "The Men," this week, which was Marlon Brando's first major film. It was made in 1950. In it, he plays a soldier named Ken Wilcheck, who was shot in the back during WWII. This occurs in the opening scene of the film. Then, we follow him to a Veteran's hospital, where we learn that he is with others like himself who are paraplegics. The result is an impressive film with a number of characters that we get emotionally invested in. Jack Webb, who later played Joe Friday in 'Dragnet' is very good as Captain Norm Butler. And Arthur Jurado plays the memorable character Angel Lopez. With the exception of Angel, these men struggle with the meaning of their lives now that they've lost the use of their lower bodies. The biggest problem is whether and how they can relate to women. Teresa Wright plays Ellen, a classic 1950s "stand by your man" kind of woman, who enters into the struggle of her life in dealing with the tortured feelings of Ken (played by Brando). It's a good film.
1 comment:
Strikes a little (or a lottle) too close to home with all the men and women (and kids) coming home with 50% of their bodies intact, and the good old US gov't giving them the shaft. I know that's not this movie, it just reminds me of it. BTW, "Band of Brothers" is fantastic. I can't remember if you said you folks saw it. Gotta fast-forward though some of the more horrendous moments, however.
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