User Reviews

Except for a few shots of planes and ships, "The Gallant Hours" mostly takes place in fairly stark room sets, and feels a little like a photographed stage play.

The film overcomes any shortcomings with James Cagney's performance as William F. Halsey Jr., a leader who literally had the fate of a number of nations on his shoulders, including mine, Australia. Cagney not only looks like his subject, but also seems to be channelling him.

The film brings home that the United States victory over the Japanese in the Solomon Islands in 1942 was a close run thing. Although sometimes outnumbered, daring strategy, brilliant codebreaking and courage turned the tide. This was before the full mobilisation of America's industrial might and manpower had by 1945 virtually made the Pacific an American lake.

The director of "The Gallant Hours", Robert Montgomery started as an actor, but he was also a decorated naval officer in WW2. He was a strong character and once admonished John Ford on the set of "They Were Expendable" for belittling John Wayne in front of the cast for not enlisting during the war.

Maybe it was just as well Montgomery didn't include battle scenes in "The Gallant Hours" because they would have been either the bathtub model effects of that CGI-less era or would have incorporated documentary footage, which never integrated seamlessly.

The film has a memorable hymn-like theme sung a Capella by a male choir: "Away He Went". However even Miklos Rozsa may have been wary of using so much reverence so often in his score for "King of Kings".

The film reminds Australians and New Zealanders how much is owed to those Americans who put it on the line in the Solomon Islands in 1942. But now, in 2018, it seems another nation is following Imperial Japan's old path down through the South China Sea and into the Pacific, albeit with artificial islands and debt entrapment instead of torpedoes and 16-inch shells, but relentlessly nonetheless.

During a visit to New Zealand in 1954, the retired Halsey said something about those crucial battles in the Solomons that may seem more prescient now...

"I hope we never have to do anything like that again. But if we do, I hope we are all together again. We certainly formed a wonderful team that time, I'm sure we could do it again if we had to. And God help us if we ever have to do it again".

Robert Montgomery directs this brief, but informative study of Adm. William F. 'Bull' Halsey Jr. in the Pacific during WWII. James Cagney is super as the highly decorated and revered Fleet Commander. Stoic, stern, confident and compassionate...Cagney in one of his best film performances.

Supporting cast is a mix of veteran actors and younger stars: Walter Sande, Les Tremayne, Dennis Weaver, Richard Jaeckel, James Yagi, Robert Burton and Ward Costello.

This classic film is about Admiral Halsey's leadership of the US forces in the South Pacific during the early part of World War II. The film is more about leadership than warfare. Combat is not depicted on screen, so this film would not appeal to those who seek lots of action. I strongly recommend the film, especially to history buffs.

Arrgghh!! Whether or not this is a good film, I am surprised that most of the reviewers don't mention the god-awful men's chorus that inappropriately drones on and one with even greater solemnity than a Biblical epic!! It's horrible and annoying--and undermines much of the film. Why this was chosen for the soundtrack I have no idea, as it grates on the nerves like no other soundtrack I can recall! Yes, it's that bad and after a while it sounds almost like bees swarming--I kid you not! Aside from the demoniacally-inspired chorus, the next thing you'll probably notice is the unusual style of the film. Instead of a typical bio-pic, this one is told in a semi-documentary style--with very serious narration punctuating various vignettes of a very small portion of Admiral Halsey's life. This small cross-section of his life consists of just five weeks!! So, it's hard to exactly call this a 'bio-pic' as it would seem to imply more than just a tiny portion of the subject's life.

The film is also surprisingly different from what you'd expect because the telling of the story is very straight-forward and without adornment. Simple and direct seem to be the motto for this film...and have a male chorus that sounds worse than cats begin tortured.

If you want a film version of all of Halsey's life or a warts-and-all film, this is not the movie for you. However, it is very competently made and worth seeing...even with the evil chorus from Hell--though I AM deducting two points for this!

Straightforward black and white World War II battlefield biography about U.S. Navy Admiral William F. 'Bull' Halsey with zero combat scenes makes it a rough going 116 minutes despite an outstanding James Cagney as Halsey. Dennis "Chester" Weaver—minus his limp from "Gunsmoke"--played his aide. Warning: if you watch this respectable war film, prepare yourself for a male chorus cooing behind the scenes in reverence. After the first 10 minutes, that cooing gets pretty thick. Director Robert Montgomery, who fought in World War II in the European Theater of Operations, reenacts everything in a semi-documentary style and adds to the film's overall sense of credibility. Nevertheless, this Hollywood epic ought to be a regular film on the History Channel because it doesn't deviate from the facts.

To my knowledge - I had not seen this movie before this weekend. I was doing some housekeeping, and accidentally changed to this movie for some background noise (was trying to get a news channel). The clarity of the broadcast image, the subject matter and the high-profile list of actors kept my attention and the housework suffered considerably as I was hooked after about 30 seconds! I found it a refreshing look at the basic facts (with some liberties), a compelling performance by Cagney, and an interesting study in set design and filmmaking.

The most interesting thing to me was that this was made only 15 years after the war was over. That is not a very long time (the Belin Wall has been down 25 years now) - and having WWII veterans involved in the production contributed to the air of realism that is present throughout the film. The "Chorus" was interesting the first few times it showed up, but eventually I was able to tune it out and enjoy the rest of the movie!

This film tells a compelling story and should be watched at least once by everyone, and seen more often on TV.

Helped in fact by an astonishing physical resemblance to Admiral William F. Halsey that audiences today can't appreciate, James Cagney in his next to last film before retirement makes a very believable and strained Bull Halsey recollecting those harrowing weeks during the seesaw battle for Guadalcanal.

If one is looking for battle scenes and lots of blood and gore skip this film. If one however would like to see a study about the strain of command than this film is ideal. Cagney drops all of the mannerisms that we normally associate with him in playing Admiral Halsey. It's a restrained and mature performance.

The Gallant Hours is also a tribute to the men of our fighting forces in the Pacific who took and held on to the key island of Guadalcanal in the Solomons and halted the Japanese in the Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations.

Director Robert Montgomery did the film in documentary style and at times you feel like you're in the brain of Admiral Halsey, weighing each decision he makes with him. The familiar voice you hear narrating is that of Montgomery who was no longer acting and now was mostly concerned with production and with political work for the Republican National Committee.

The Gallant Hours is a fine character study of one of America's greatest naval heroes and should not be missed.

The decision not to show any battle scenes is what prevents THE GALLANT HOURS from really coming to life as a war drama. All of the scenes showing the men in command who have to make the big decisions are extremely well done, but when the film is over there's a feeling that something was lacking. At least at some point in the story, some footage of men during battle would have made the Halsey story more gripping.

It's presented almost like a history lesson. The factual account of events following the Japanese successful attack on Pearl Harbor and leading up to events at Guadalcanal, borders on being dry but is saved by the crisp performances of the male cast and especially JAMES CAGNEY as Admiral "Bull" Halsey. Cagney puts aside all his famed mannerisms and plays the role with feeling and intensity, getting across the notion that being a commander during wartime is an extremely harrowing experience when so many lives are at stake.

The cast is mostly unfamiliar to me, with RICHARD JAECKEL and DENNIS WEAVER being the sole exceptions. Jaeckel is highly effective in a brief role as a man who is losing his fighting spirit until he gets a pep talk from Halsey and Weaver is pleasantly cast as Halsey's pilot and aide.

A thinking man's war film, it's a bit overlong at one hour and 55 minutes and without any actual battle footage. It's directed in competent style by Robert Montgomery but the Roger Wagner chorale music is a bit overdone in an attempt to heighten the drama.

This is a surprisingly engaging war film, considering there are no action scenes. The movie is well-acted, although Dennis Weaver's "Chester" accent is a bit over-the-top. Cagney is superb as Admiral Halsey, in my opinion his best role ever. His understated pain in ordering only a 'routine' search for his missing son is beautiful, and the heart-to-heart with Roy Webb over the day's combat losses is a textbook lesson in the responsibilities of command. The use of the off-screen narrator in lieu of subtitles to present the Japanese side of the issue is tremendously effective; one wishes it had been used in other films as well. Although there are no combat scenes in the movie, the suspense is palpable as the command staff lives the battle through the air-to-air and ship-to-ship transmissions of men fighting for their lives.

For the war movie or history buff, or the die-hard Cagney fan, this is a fine movie!

Docudrama about Admiral William F. Halsey; specifically his experiences during World War II. It's directed and narrated by Robert Montgomery. James Cagney stars and does an excellent job with a quieter, more subtle type of performance than the ones he was known for. Negatives include a slow pace, lack of action, no subtitles when needed, an overuse of devices like narration and background chorus, and Dennis Weaver going full hick accent with his country boy role. Positives include the aforementioned Cagney turn and a sincerity that I can't help but respect. You can tell they (Montgomery, Cagney, et al.) really wanted to make a great film about a man they admired. It's not a movie that I will ever watch again, but I can certainly see the appeal for many others.

This film is a leadership tutorial masterpiece. As a substitute high school math and science teacher, I have run this to conduct leadership laboratories. Additionally, the theme composition that opens the film is marvelous. I have tried to reconstruct the lyrics (had trouble understanding last verse lyrics) so that I could present the composition for adoption by the U. S. Naval Academy Mens' Chorus. Any help along these lines would be appreciated. I have attempted to locate survivors of Ward Costello, its composer, without success...for any necessary permission.

The most memorable scene is between Halsey (Cagney) and the candidate of air group commander (Richard Jaekel), when Jaekel says, "I thought I was alone." Cagney replies, "You were and you always will be."

A look at the senior officers in Halsey's fleet and under his command. However, it was strangely uninvolving, since we knew that the U.S. won the war, won the battle for Guadalcanal, and that Halsey survived the war and retired a four star admiral. What almost ruined the movie for me was the too reverent chorus that played throughout the movie, which would have more suitable in a movie about Jesus Christ or one of the saints. The wa wa chorus was actually intrusive at times and I found myself grimacing when it started up.

This movie, produced by Robert Montgomery, a navy veteran of WW2 who acted in the excellent film "They Were Expendable," is a fine story; but it just is not true. It conflates several battles into one, a not too terrible violation of the real history; but then moves the killing of Adm. Yamamoto six months earlier than it actually happened. I love Cagney, and he does well in this film, but it is all in the service of a lie. Watch this film for entertainment, and for the very effective voice-overs when new characters are introduced, describing their civilian careers and their ultimate end: dead, wounded, or survivor. The music is very good, too. STILL, THE MOVIE IS A LIE!!!!!!

An unexpected *little* film from James Cagney. No snappy dancing, no slapping dames and bartenders around, no grapefruit saying hello to your face, no weird little body dance with the hitching up of pants, hunching the shoulders or snapping of fingers. No strutting or shooting locomotive engineers, no `Made it, Ma! Top of the World!.' Not even a glimpse of the old and much loved Warner Brothers logo for that matter.

In The Gallant Hours, Cagney, normally a smorgasbord of tics, sideways delights, raw energy, menace, and American good-guyism, does the least expected thing: he strips himself of all his familiar trademarks and instead delivers the most restrained, internalized, uncagneylike performance we've ever seen. Too bad it's a one-dimensional misrepresentation of the man he's playing---the crusty, bushy-eyed Fleet Admiral William F. *Bull* Halsey. But more about that in a minute.

Shot in black and white in semi-documentary style, The Gallant Hours is a low-budget, bare-bones, *cameo* production that doesn't attempt either the wide scope or the heroics of such better-known war films as Flying Fortress, Wake Island or Bataan. Instead, the film tightly focuses on the series of crucial, life-and-death decisions made by Admiral Halsey as he directs the desperate struggle in 1942 for possession of Guadalcanal, after it was discovered that the Japanese were building an airfield there from which they could launch attacks on Australia.

Produced and directed by actor and former naval officer Robert Montgomery, the film is a melange of the good, the bad, and the indifferent. The Gallant Hours has its moments, beginning auspiciously with a memorable opening scene of a lone sailor standing high up on a ship's mast, the camera then slowly panning down to reveal the rest of the ship's company massed on deck behind Halsey, who's crisply reading out his retirement orders. This is followed by a touching and well-done scene between him and his filipino valet, the two of them recalling the bloody, extended battle for Guadalcanal, which the film then turns to in extended flashback.

In place of battle action---there is none---the movie pads itself with several lightweight scenes that are either frivolous or yawn-inducing, such as when Halsey's aides, gathered on the beach, are oohing and ahhing over the ageing Admiral's prowess in the water, and, after Halsey has rejoined them, all of them then indulgently observing Dennis Weaver (as Halsey's chief pilot, Lt. Commander Andrew Jefferson 'Andy' Lowe) romping with a group of adoring navy nurses who are all agog over Dennis's tactical maneuvers.

The picture would have benefitted from scrapping fluff like this and sticking to the business of waging war, but no, the scriptwriters instead assume we require *entertainment*---the more mindless the better---in the form of multiple scenes of Dennis Weaver pursuing tail, or---the running gag for the first third of the film---Halsey finding ways of avoiding the innoculation shots that his medical officer wants to give him. Very jolly.

The production as a whole is intensely stylized and displays a palpable mood of mournfulness and regret over the horrific sacrifice of life among the Americans and their allies, who were desperately attempting to roll back the powerful Japanese advance in the South Pacific. This atmosphere is maintained throughout the film by the use of a soaring hymn-like musical score which suggests that the war at sea was virtually a holy war by the Allied Forces to save the world from the rampaging Axis powers.

Montgomery's direction is uneven and occasionally downright lazy, as when he several times settles for using the same boring establishing shot of Halsey's flagship sitting like a stilllife in port. Maybe, just once, he could have tried something else to establish the scene? And the sight of Dennis Weaver---one of my favorite actors---made to endlessly pursue more-than-willing navy nurses for comic relief shortly becomes tedious. Deprived of the opportunity to show battle action, the scriptwriters frequently appear to be vamping, for want of anything better to do.

For anyone who's seen John Ford's magnificent, eligiac 1945 wartime drama, They Were Expendable, in which Montgomery and John Wayne had starred, it will be obvious that the concept for The Gallant Hours was strongly influenced by the earlier film. Given the chance to direct, Montgomery apparently believed that what Ford could do, *he* could do better. But where Ford had sown his film with subtle tones of sadness, defeat, and loss, Montgomery drenches The Gallant Hours with painted-on emotion, conveyed primarily by its endlessly repeated score and a narrator who crisply and regularly informs you about which onscreen marine will be dead or badly injured in battle forty-five minutes later. They Were Expendable, now recognized as one of Ford's finest films, was effective without having to repeatedly cue its audience, while The Gallant Hours finds it necessary to frequently poke us when it's time to feel sad again or to grieve over incidents that are never depicted.

None of the above, however, is as off-kilter as the picture's biggest disappointment---its highly *edited* depiction of Halsey. The scriptwriters did an outrageous disservice to the public memory of Halsey by sanitizing the admiral into a nearly flawless, one-dimensional cardboard cutout---nearly a saint. He wasn't. According to his biographers, *Bull* Halsey was a salty, aggressive, Ulysses S. Grant-type warrior who liked his liquor---at one point he was receiving a monthly ration of seventeen cases of Scotch and six of bourbon, both for himself and for the purposes of entertaining others---and whose hatred of the Japanese was legendary and who exalted in killing them in large numbers, often allowing them to drown in the sea rather than picking them up and taking them prisoner. This was a man who was famous in naval circles for once erecting a large billboard that said, `Kill Japs! Kill Japs! Kill more Japs!' This wasn't a guy who, like his Japanese counterpart, Admiral Yamamoto, spent quality time arranging flowers to look just right for snapping with his Leica. Unsurprisingly, he was capable of exhibiting a ferocious temper if provoked and had other colorful human failings as well. The men who served with and under him loved and respected him in part for his being altogether human, for being one of them.

The Gallant Hours may get away with failing to show battle action, but it rolls over and dies when it fashions an utterly false picture of this great American wartime figure as a benign plaster saint who was followed by heavenly music wherever he went. Halsey's business was killing the enemy, not serving the Host to them during the Eucharist.

As for the film's lead, admittedly it is simply not possible to watch Jimmy Cagney and not enjoy him. The guy doesn't know how *not* to be interesting. But I would much rather have seen him play one of America's greatest naval warriors with all of that individual's various human qualities intact. It would have made for a much more compelling film.

When in the days that pass this life that we live,if you happen to come upon this film keep it,view it,and know truly that this is what is meant by the golden age of Hollywood.This is not about the roaring twenties or the 1940s or in fact anything that you can touch.It is a film that involves a time when we in our resolve as a sovereignty were to be attacked by surprise and while unable to provide front line support sufficient to deter such unwarranted aggression we did what we could to figure out how to do what we had as yet been unable to do and that is stop the Japanese.Our military history will recognize that the defense of Guadalcanal will be recognized as a perimeter that was held and cleared at great cost.However,the ability of the Marine Corps to hold were aided by the very gallant efforts of our Navy and so many others that though Guadalcanal was the focus of our efforts,the reader might do well to look up Defense of the South Pacific.This was in fact when we started to take back what was a very high cost to relinquish.Names like battle of savo island,The straights of Iron Bottom Sound,the Solomons,The Tokyo Express,you will learn just how drama can unfold on the silver screen without running up a 300 million dollar tab.This film is about a ordinary man in Admiral William Halsey who at a very critical time in our efforts in the South Pacific took command of our defenses and in a matter of speaking light a fire and proceeded to defend and ultimately defeat the aggression of a dangerous and superior force in the Japanese.This film is not to go past when you come to it.I am personally pleased that where I was a youngster when I first viewed this very fine film, fortunately it has been made available through videotape(VHS)and maybe those that know better would know that these are the films we truly care for.This is in defense of the Gallant Hours, it would do well as a fine package in Digital Versatile Disc.I do not think you can do any better a movie than The Gallant Hours.I can not recommend a picture any more highly than I than this film.A moving tribute to a very ordinary man who said that he would get the credit for the work that was started by others.A worthy movie going experience.It might be well to know that there are subtle ways by which this movie becomes a picture worth saving and it is emphasized in the following words,"I knew a lad who went to sea and left the shore behind him,the lad was me and now I can not find him.Away,away,away he went and left the shore behind him."A do not miss.Sincerely

As a retired Marine Colonel, I have to say this movie contains one of the best lessons in leadership a movie could ever offer. Richard Jaeckel as (LCDR Webb) comes to ADM Halsey's (Cagney) state room to tell him he doesn't want command of his squadron because of the planes shot down that day and the men killed including its' commanding officer because he doesn't want the responsibility. Halsey explains as commander, he lost the same C.O. plus two destroyers and several hundred other men and he's not resigning. Along with the movie "Twelve O'Clock High" - "The Gallant Hours" is a great lesson in leadership because the commanders fore the men under their command to take stock of both the situation as well as their responsibilities.

A war film without action makes this picture almost unique. The message is that wars are fought with character as much as gun fire. Cagney's performance is subtle and deeply felt. One scene in particular in the final half hour should be watched carefully: a 45-second shot of Cagney sitting at his desk with a cup of coffee as the consequences of his decision run through his mind in the form of off-screen battle sounds. The camera patiently draws in on his face, as his expression grown more grim. Cagney's expression and eyes have a power that burns through the screen like a magnificent still life summing up the enormous responsibility of command. Also, the choral music throughout adds a great weight and sense of secular reverence to the tone of the film. In a way, "Gallant Hours" is comparable to "Command Decision," in that it takes us, as one other viewer put it, behind the scenes of battle.

From the many stories of World War Two and from the archives of the Navy, comes this sentimental story of William Halsey. It purports to relay the finally months of the distinguished admiral. Told in semi-documentary style, the admiral recalls his most important memories of the war. Despite the fact that he dwells on the famous battle of Guadalcanal, it depicts how straining his command really was and the toll it took on him. However, the movie unfortunately centered on the admiral and not on the tremendous suffering of his men and his staff. True it mentioned their participation, but not on their combined loss. Further, the movie could have used it cinematic power to reveal the over all sacrifices the men made. The selection of James Cagney as Admiral William Halsey was a stroke of good fortune as were the selection of the other members of the cast. Here we have Dennis Weaver, Ward Costello and Richard Jaeckel as Commander Webb. Overall, this is a fine film, but reservation is made concerning the naval tribute given to Halsey, when such honor belongs to the departed. **

Admiral William "Bull" Halsey (James Cagney) assumes command of military operations in the South Pacific as Japanese forces threaten to take control of Guadalcanal and, consequently, all of the South Pacific. This film has a quasi-documentary style. Much of the background music is handled by a chorus, creating a tenor of reverence and solemnity, which is appropriate given the magnitude and significance of every decision made during the critical days of Halsey's new command.

Voice-overs provide background information for many of the historic actors in this real-life drama, both American and Japanese. By portraying the human sides of the conflict, it provides a behind-the-scenes look into the battle of wits and personalities that lay behind troop actions and the movements of warships and planes.

Halsey is demonstrated to be the right man at the right time, with his outside-the-box thinking that allows him to garner respect from the men under his command and to achieve results that beat the odds. His style, which can be seen as a version of "management by walking around", allows him insights with more depth than can be ascertained through official communications.

What this film does very well is to demonstrate the profound impact that individuals, psychological factors, and single events can have on outcomes. It is often said that a superior individual can sometimes achieve results superior to those of a syndicate or committee. In Halsey, we see the personification of that principle. It's a real joy to gain a glimpse into the psyches of the men who were involved in this critical conflict. Most war films are about battles and results, but this film helps one understand motivations and decision-making behind the actions.

Fleet Adm. William F. Halsey Jr. (James Cagney) takes over as Guadalcanal heats up. He faces the Japanese forces at the height of their power under the command of Yamamoto.

The intriguing aspect of this war movie is the lack of action scenes. This is unique among big American war movies. There is plenty of military hardware but the whiz bang has been left off-screen. The Japanese characters speak without subtitles. There is a constant narration throughout the movie. The overall effect is an air of authenticity. There are some lighter moments which may be ill-advised. This movie does better concentrating on the details of the events and planning but it needs a consistent map showing the units involved. I like the general idea if not always the result.

How did this movie ever get made? Did somebody at a studio owe Robert Montgomery a favor? By 1960 Halsey's reputation had been under fire for more than a decade already. Did his death prompt somebody in the Navy to fund this whitewash? I've seen personal hygiene films that had more dramatic tension. Between the drone of engines and the drone of the male chorus, this movie could be prescribed by doctors as an insomnia cure.