Perfect cast and a good story

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best movie i've ever seen.

As Good As It Gets

The Fighting Sullivans, originally free as The Sullivans, is a 1944 American biographical combat film going to by Lloyd Bacon and printed by Edward Doherty, Mary C. McCall Jr. and Jules Schermer. It was chosen for a now-discontinued arts school Award for Best tale.The tale follows the lives of the five Irish-American Sullivan brothers, who grow up in Iowa through the days of the enormous Depression and serve jointly in the United States Navy through World War II. Their ultimate deaths in the Pacific theater on the ship the light police car USS Juneau (done for on November 13, 1942 through the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal) are too chronicle in this movie, which is base on the brothers' accurate life tale. http://fullmovieonline85.blogspot.com

Like so many Hollywood films of the era, "The Fighting Sullivans" begins with a real-life story and embellishes it heavily in order to make an entertaining and teary movie. In this case, the very famous five Sullivan brothers who served aboard the same ship--and who all died during the invasion of Guadalcanal. It was a terrible tragedy that was exploited for propaganda--to try to solidify the folks at home behind the war effort.The film begins when the Sullivans are boys. Nothing especially exciting happens during this portion but it serves to emphasize how the brothers cared for each other and makes the viewer connect with them and care for them. Then, the film jumps ahead. Now the five are young adults--full of dreams and love for each other. And, of course, the war arrives and the rest is history. Interestingly enough, the war itself is only a small portion of the film--most of it is just leading up to it. And, while it's heavy on the schmaltz (in other words, heavy on sentimentality), it is effective--unless you a really cynical sort. And naturally, when tragedy strikes, you can't help but get misty-eyed because the film so effectively led to it...and because the story of the boys is amazingly sad. Well worth seeing...even if it does seem that an awful lot of liberties were taken with their lives--especially when they were lads.By the way, one part of the film was handled poorly. At the end, when Ward Bond arrives to break the news to the family that all five brothers were killed, he walked in the door smiling--and did so for about 30 seconds before breaking it to them. This made no sense unless Bond was portraying a sociopath! They really should have re-shot this pivotal scene.

The USS Sullivans is now anchored in a Naval Park in Buffalo, NY. This destroyer was named in honor of the Sullivan Brothers who all lost their life during the battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. After Pearl Harbor they all enlisted in the Navy with the condition of not being separated. While serving on the USS Juno they perished together. Shipmates reported that three of the brothers, when out of harms way, returned to the burning ship for their brothers when it went under. When news of this tragic loss was learned, the government instituted the rule that stands today, no brothers will serve in the same combat theatre. This was due to the Sullivans.I saw this movie one night with my mother on late night TV in 1981. Let me tell you, the very memory of the ending of this movie brings me to tears. A mixture of pride and sorrow. Do not hesitate, purchase, and watch this film.

Very seldom when I was small, we would be allowed to sit up late to catch a movie, but always to the distaste of my mother, who was adamant that bedtime was bedtime, movie or not. So I'll never forget the night that we were actually called out of bed to come up and watch this, the fighting Sullivan's. We sat, engrossed in the lives of these young men, convinced that it was a comedy we were watching. The little rascals-esquire capers of the boys always stuck with me, especially the "dentist" scene. As the Sullivan's grew, we grew closer and closer to them, until the tragic finale; words cannot describe the wave of emotion that flowed over me. In the end, i turned to my dad, teary eyed, to ask him if it really was a true story; more sensitive parents would have said yes, its all made up... A truly special movie, one for everybody.