Sands of Iwo Jima

1949
Approved
1h 40m

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

12K

YOUR RATING

John Wayne, John Agar, and Adele Mara in Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

Theatrical Trailer from Republic Pictures

Play trailer1:52

1 Video

65 Photos

Action Drama Romance War

Haunted by personal demons, Marine Sgt. John Stryker is hated and feared by his men, who see him as a cold-hearted sadist. But when their boots hit the beaches, they begin to understand the ... Read allHaunted by personal demons, Marine Sgt. John Stryker is hated and feared by his men, who see him as a cold-hearted sadist. But when their boots hit the beaches, they begin to understand the reason for Stryker's rigid form of discipline.Haunted by personal demons, Marine Sgt. John Stryker is hated and feared by his men, who see him as a cold-hearted sadist. But when their boots hit the beaches, they begin to understand the reason for Stryker's rigid form of discipline.

Director
- Allan Dwan
Writers
- Harry Brown
- James Edward Grant
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

12K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Allan Dwan
Writers
- Harry Brown
- James Edward Grant
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 1 win & 4 nominations total

Trivia
While John Wayne was honored to be nominated for an Academy Award for this film, he believed the nomination should have been for She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949).

Goofs
The first battle the movie's unit participates in is Tarawa. Tarawa was assaulted by the 2nd Marine Division. The same unit is then engaged in the Iwo Jima campaign. Iwo Jima was invaded by the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions. It's very unlikely that Stryker's whole squad would have been transferred to another division. Furthermore, earlier in the film Stryker refers to his involvement in the Guadalcanal assault. The assault on Guadalcanal was conducted by both the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions, so it is plausible for Stryker to have served with two marine divisions.

Quotes
Sgt. Stryker: You gotta learn right and you gotta learn fast. And any man that doesn't want to cooperate, I'll make him wish he had never been born.

Crazy credits
Towards the end of the opening cast credits there states: And The three living survivors of the historic flag raising on Mount Suribachi Rene A. Gagnon (as Pfc Rene A. Gagnon), Ira H. Hayes (as Pfc Ira H. Hayes) and John H. Bradley (as PM3/c John H. Bradley).

Alternate versions
Also available in a computer colorized version.

Connections
Edited from With the Marines at Tarawa (1944)

User reviews91

Review

Featured review

7/10

A Serious Plot with Some Good Acting

This film takes place in the Pacific Theater during World War II with a U. S. Marine rifle company led by a man named "Sergeant John M. Stryker" (John Wayne). As it so happens, having experienced combat firsthand he is extremely determined to train and fine-tune his company into being as capable and ready as possible. Needless to say, his hardline approach is not welcomed by everyone in the company with one particular person named "Al Thomas" (Forrest Tucker) having had a personal quarrel with him in a previous assignment. Additionally, another man by the name of "Robert Dunne" (Arthur Franz) also has a dislike for him but for an entirely different reason. Yet even so, Sgt Stryker realizes that he cannot let their personal animosity deter him from his mission-especially since they are bound to see ferocious combat in the very near future. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I found this to be a pretty good World War II picture due in large part to the serious plot and the acting of John Wayne who essentially carried this film. That being said, I recommend this film for those interested and have rated it accordingly. Above average.