| In Harm's Way | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Otto Preminger |
| Screenplay by | Wendell Mayes |
| Based on | Harm's Way 1962 novel by James Bassett |
| Produced by | Otto Preminger |
| Starring | John Wayne Kirk Douglas Patricia Neal Tom Tryon Paula Prentiss Brandon deWilde Jill Haworth Dana Andrews Henry Fonda |
| Cinematography | Loyal Griggs |
| Edited by | George Tomasini Hugh S. Fowler |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 165 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4,500,000 (US/Canada rentals)[1] |
In Harm's Way is a 1965 American epic historical romantic war film produced and directed by Otto Preminger[2] and starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, and Patricia Neal, with a supporting cast featuring Henry Fonda in a lengthy cameo, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Stanley Holloway, Burgess Meredith, Brandon deWilde, Jill Haworth, Dana Andrews, and Franchot Tone.[3] Produced with Panavision motion picture equipment, it was one of the last black-and-white World War II epics, and Wayne's last black-and-white film. The screenplay was written by Wendell Mayes, based on the 1962 novel Harm's Way, by James Bassett.
The setting of the film is the entry of the United States into World War II. It depicts the lives of several U.S. naval officers based in Hawaii and their wives or lovers. The title of the film comes from a quote from an American Revolutionary naval commander:
I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm's way.
The film presents a relatively unromantic and realistic picture of the U.S. Navy and its officers from the night of December 6, 1941, through the first year of the U.S. participation in World War II, complete with bureaucratic quarreling among the senior officers and sometimes disreputable private actions by individuals. Its sprawling narrative is typical of Preminger's works in which he examined institutions and the people who run them, such as the United States Congress and the Presidency of the United States in Advise & Consent, the Catholic Church in The Cardinal, and the British Intelligence Service in The Human Factor.
- ^ This figure consists of anticipated rentals accruing distributors in North America. See "Big Rental Pictures of 1965", Variety, 5 January 1966 p 6
- ^ "In Harm's Way". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ Variety film review; March 31, 1965, page 6.