no one would argue that this 1945 war film be a masterpiece . ( how could any 1945 war film be a masterpiece . ) and yet this be an extremely effective telling of a true story and that of al schmidt and blind on guadalcanal and a play by john garfield and who spend day wear a blindfold to capture the nuance of a blind person action . robert leckie and in helmet for my pillow and denigrate schmidt popularity in favor of his foxhole mate and who be kill and write that the country must have need live hero . well and i suppose the country do . and they have one here . there be a single combat scene in the movie and bound to the studio lot and last only ten minute or so and and occur less than halfway through the film instead of be save for the climax and but it be the scary and most realistic depiction of men under fire that i can remember have see on screen and include those in save private ryan . men yell with fear and scream at each other and at the enemy and and bleed and die and without the aid of color and stereophonic sound and squib and or gore . simply from a technological point of view and the film be outstanding . it isn not just that we learn how complicate a mechanism a . 30 caliber and water cool brown machine gun be and or that it must be fire in burst of only a few round and or that it isn not wave around like a fire hose and a in so many other war movie . the technical precision add to the scene rivet quality . the need to stick to short burst be horrify when dozen of shriek enemy be pour across a creek fifty foot away with the sole aim of exterminate you and your two isolated comrade confine to a small gun emplacement . the performance be solid and if not bravura and include those of the ubiquitous 1940s support and john ridgeley and and a radiant and youthful eleanor parker . the frame love story be spare and but it work and and ultimately be quite move . a striking dream sequence be include . it not bunuel and but for a routine 1945 film and it stand out a original and effective . albert maltz may have overwrite the script and or it may have be alter by someone else . it could have use the kind of prune that might have introduce some much need ambiguity . still and there be odd verbal punctuation that have a surprising impact on the viewer why do not god strike me dead . and and in the eye and lee . get em in the eye . depth of anguish in a few corny word . and a surprising amount of bitterness express by wounded veteran in a 1945 war film . note that might seem false to a contemporary viewer but perhaps shouldn not represent the dated vernacular which it difficult to believe many of today kid could think be actually ever spoken private gab and dope and drip and gee and you dumb coot and dame and a swell guy and and feel sorry for yourself . let u consider the historical context and be kind in our judgment . at the time and some of this goofy lingo be at the cut edge . real weak point . the wounded veteran get together and argue with each other about how much of a collective future they have and the argument be oversimply resolve with a conclusion along the line of and just because you have a silver plate in your head doesn not mean people will think youre a bad person . there be sometimes voice over and silent prayer that be both unnecessary and downright unimaginative . please and god and let him return to me and and that sort of thing . well and the film maker be operate within the constraint of their time . maybe that why the final fade be on a shot of independence hall and the inspiring strain of america the beautiful swell in the back . none of this can undo the film virtue and which be considerable and particularly the impact of that horrify combat scene . it not on television that often . if you have a chance and by all mean catch it .