The Fighting Sullivans

A lot of people know the story of the USS Indianapolis that sank at the end of World War II. It was the ship where only 316 of the 1,196 crew survived because there was a delay in looking for them. This film tells the story of the USS Juneau, it is not as well known but its story is terrible as well. Only 10 out of 700 crew survived. This ship is best remembered as the one where the Sullivans died. There has been a change in policy since where brothers are prohibited from being on the same ship. This film does a wonderful job of bringing the Sullivan saga to life. I can imagine the patriotic impact it had when it was shown at the time. I caught it on an old movie channel and I remember the scene that got me was the one at the end where it made out like they were all ascending to heaven.

This is one of the few movies I've seen that really made me cry. I agree with others who wrote about this and would definitely put it up there with The Best Years of our Lives as one of the great World War II pictures. Saving Private Ryan didn't move me as much as this mainly because we really don't get to know Private Ryan (or his brothers, for that matter). In this movie, we get to know all of the brothers, especially the oldest and the youngest. It did feel a bit like the Waltons in the first hour (were homes really that apple pie in Iowa in the 30s?) But watching the boys come of age and struggle with basic teenage issues, and then watching them enlist, made their fates all the more powerful. Yes, I knew what was going to happen but I was moved all the same. This movie should be required viewing for everyone who adored Saving Private Ryan.

I first saw this film as an eight year old during the war. I regularly showed the video version to my high school history classes during my teaching career. Even though it was on the edge of being brutally hard to take when the Sullivan family learned of the death of all five of their sons, my students regarded the film as one which showed a great deal about the home front and about the sacrifices this generation made to the country.

I was a boy of 14 at boarding school in England when I saw this film on release. The memory of it is with me still at 75 so it must have had some merit emotionally if nothing else. The second world war was still on and we were all aware of the horrors daily being brought to notice. Fellow pupils were finding parent(s) and brothers/sisters lost in the conflict. The film I recall we who saw it went back a second time. Thomas Mitchell as the father was the dominant character in the film.I still think of him as a forerunner to characters played later by Ernest Borgnine who was in the same mould. Anne Baxter was not yet at her best but was a sympathetic player demanded by her sorely tested motherhood in this film.

This film was made during WWII when the outcome was still uncertain. It served as a strong motivational film for the American theater going crowd much like "Guadalcanal Diary" and Wake Island" to name just two. Most of the picture concerns the brothers growing up and their strong bond with each other. The actual story of them serving in the Navy is very small in relation to the rest of the movie. The spirit of the five brothers is still alive today as the Navy recently named yet another ship after them i.e. USS The Sullivans DDG 68. The story would still make for a fine remake using 90's style film making and with the right director be up there with "Saving Private Ryan". Check this film out and look for a small role by the great character actor Ward Bond whose presence in films always makes a difference.