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MacArthur (1977 film)

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MacArthur
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Sargent
Written byHal Barwood
Matthew Robbins
Produced byFrank McCarthy
StarringGregory Peck
Ed Flanders
Dan O'Herlihy
CinematographyMario Tosi
Edited byGeorge Jay Nicholson
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • July 15, 1977 (1977-07-15)
Running time
130 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$9 million[1]
Box office$16.3 million (US)[2]

MacArthur is a 1977 American biographical war film directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Gregory Peck in the eponymous role as American General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.

Plot

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The film portrays MacArthur's (Gregory Peck) life from 1942, before the Battle of Bataan in World War II, to 1952, after he had been removed from his Korean War command by President Harry Truman (Ed Flanders) for insubordination. It is recounted in flashback as MacArthur visits West Point in 1962.

Cast

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Production

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Gregory Peck said, "I admit that I was not terribly happy with the script they gave me, or with the production they gave me which was mostly on the back lot of Universal. I thought they shortchanged the production."[3] Parts of the film were shot at the beach near Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, California.[4]

Historical inaccuracies

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  • In a meeting in Pearl Harbor between President Roosevelt, Admiral Nimitz, and MacArthur to discuss East Asian strategy, MacArthur points to Lingayen Gulf in Western Luzon, calling it Leyte Gulf and referring to it as the site of his re-entry to the Philippines. The Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Leyte, which included MacArthur's first return to Philippine soil on 20 October 1944, were in the Visayas, in Central Philippines. The Invasion of Lingayen Gulf, with MacArthur making a similarly dramatic landing in the main island of Luzon, occurred on January 9, 1945.
  • On the ship's stateroom wall of the Roosevelt, Nimitz, and MacArthur meeting on Pearl Harbor is a painting of the Baltimore-class heavy cruiser USS Los Angeles. However, it was commissioned only on 22 July 1945 and so was not used for World War II. However, it won five battle stars during the Korean War.
  • The uniform of the Soviet Lieutenant General Kuzma N. Derevyanko is erroneously presented with the shoulder boards of a Soviet senior lieutenant instead of a lieutenant general.[5]
  • The Japanese surrender of World War II scene aboard USS Missouri (BB-63) shows the battleship's 40 mm quad guns covered (mothballed) during the movie.
  • When MacArthur and his aides are planning the U.N. landing at Inchon in 1950, they review a map of the Korean peninsula which shows the current armistice line dividing the two Koreas. That line was not established until 1953. Their map should have been showing the original line at the 38th parallel.

Reception

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MacArthur received mixed reviews, it currently holds a 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 11 critics.[6]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in the following lists:

See also

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  • Inchon, another film featuring MacArthur .

References

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  1. ^ Robert Lindsey (Aug 7, 1977). "THE NEW TYCOONS OF HOLLYWOOD: THE DAY OF THE ALMIGHTY MOGUL IS OVER. NOW MOVIEMAKING IS IN THE HANDS OF PACKAGERS AND BUDGET-WATCHERS WHO ARE THE HIRED HANDS OF THE CONGLOMERATES THAT OWN THE STUDIOS. AND WHAT THEY'RE AFTER IS BLOCKBUSTERS". The New York Times. p. SM4.
  2. ^ "MacArthur (1977) – Box office / business". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  3. ^ Gregory Peck Interview with Jimmy Carter on YouTube
  4. ^ (1983-12-01). Spotlight on filming in SD County. Daily Times-Advocate, 52, 56-57.
  5. ^ Google.com
  6. ^ MacArthur at Rotten Tomatoes
  7. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-06.
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