MacArthur (film)

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.

MacArthur
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Sargent
Produced byFrank McCarthy
Written byHal Barwood
Matthew Robbins
StarringGregory Peck
Ed Flanders
Dan O'Herlihy
Music byJerry Goldsmith
CinematographyMario Tosi
Edited byGeorge Jay Nicholson
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • July 15, 1977 (1977-07-15)
Running time
130 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$9 million[1]
Box office$16,320,000 (US)[2]

Plot

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

Production

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]

Historical inaccuracies
  • 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.
  • 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.[4]

In addition, there are many references to the Joint Chiefs of Staff; however, that group was not created until 1949.

Reception

MacArthur received mixed reviews, it currently holds a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[5]

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

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See also
  • Inchon, another film about MacArthur's life.

References
  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". 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. MacArthur Movie
  5. MacArthur at Rotten Tomatoes
  6. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-06.
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