Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Must-See Movie: The Fighting Sullivans

The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
I like war movies, especially about WWII. Not just because I'm fan of the clothes, hair, and music of the time. But there was a certain romantic patriotism during this era. Men stood up to fight for our country and the women stood by them. Our entire country stood by them!

What makes this film unusual is not that it's based on the true story of the Sullivan brothers, but that it focuses more on life before the war: family, mothers, fathers, loved ones, sisters, and brothers -- entire lives that are affected when our country is attacked at Pearl Harbor.

The Sullivan brothers grew up doing everything together: fishing, fighting, taking in stray dogs, mending old broken-down boats, and especially getting in to lots of trouble. So it was expected that they should all go to war together in 1941 and be assigned to the same boat. In fact, they insisted on it.

This film is not so much about how the five Sullivan brothers' lives ended, but how they lived: as a loving, supportive family that would do anything to be together. And it helps us all remember that each soldier that dies for our country has a life, a love, and a family that they've left behind.

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