The Story of G.I. Joe Film (1945) Thesis Paper - Movie Review Example

Pyle (played convincingly by Burgess Meredith) is the embedded journalist within this Company. But the shared habiting space makes it a personal experience for Pyle and to this extent his journalism takes on a humanitarian hue as opposed to being merely patriotic. This essay will argue that, of the numerous merits attached to the film, it’s showcasing of the bold, humane and forthright journalism of the legendary Ernie Pyle is not only its standout feature but also accounts for its enduring appeal.

True to the journalistic ethic of accuracy and balance, the film makes no attempt to ‘manufacture’ heroism in the war setting. Instead, it fits the narrative to Pyle’s reportage, which includes unsavory and un-heroic aspects of the Second World War. True to this theme, “Pyle was later killed in a foxhole on a remote Pacific island as he pursued his career of covering the troops after victory was won in Europe. Pyle wrote of the common "dogfaces," not the brass hats. He is a hero who should be known to every journalism student.

” (Booker, 1999, p.14) But a cursory look at the state of embedded journalism today (most visibly in the War on Terror operations) betrays the falling standards of journalism in America. Today the reporter comes across as a biased stakeholder in the side he belongs, which is a far cry from the courage and ethic espoused by Ernie Pyle. More importantly, what The Story of G.I. Joe underscores is that “motion pictures can provide helpful assistance in journalism history classes through a number of ways: as a reflection of how journalists and journalism are portrayed in the mass culture; as a means to measure the role that journalism plays in significant events; and, perhaps most important, as a device by which to assess the ethical role of journalism as reflected by the decisions and actions of the people portrayed.

” (Holsinger & Schofield, 1992, p.44) The Story of G.I. Joe can also be said to be unique for the level of realism it carries. The product is not just made for commercial purposes, but for artistic and documentary goals. It also served as a vehicle of propaganda to gather support for the war from the American public. The relatively late release of the film (released after the dust settled in the European theatre) is perhaps why it portrays combat in unglamorous terms, “emphasizing not the heroism of its soldiers but their weariness and daily hardships.

Based on Pyle’s reports (collected in his 1943 book, Here Is Your War) the film details the grueling effect of extended combat service on a platoon of American soldiers the Italian campaign. Led by Lieutenant Walker ( Robert Mitchum) and accompanied by Pyle, the platoon slowly advances, experiencing both danger and boredom but very little in the way of glory.” (Booker, 1999, p.14) Contemporary war movies as well as war journalism can do well by embracing such an attitude. It is in recognition of the valuable sensibilities displayed through the film that it won four Academy Award nominations, including to Mitchum for best supporting actor and to the three screenwriters (two of whom, Endore and Stevenson, were prominent figures on the American cultural Left) for best screenplay.

While some critics took the film’s grim depiction of war as an antiwar statement, James Agee insightfully notes that G.I. Joe is a "tragic and eternal work of art precisely because of its unflinching portrayal of the realities of