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Nicolas

Sawicky Critique of MacArthur Professor Annunziata Very few men have had as much of an impact on the world as General Douglas MacArthur. He literally affected the lives of millions of people, most of them not even American citizens. He is best known for his command of the Pacific during World War II, with his famous I shall return promise. The film MacArthur highlights that time of his life, while also showing the lesser-known events that succeeded the Japanese surrender. The film MacArthur truly stands the test of time. Made in 1977, some might argue is even more powerful in this day and age. The film describes itself as Where the legend ends and the man begins. I completely agree with that statement. Most Americans only know about the legend of General Douglas MacArthur. This film does an excellent job of telling its audience about who the real MacArthur was, going through many events during his lifetime to not only show what he did, but also how he did it. After watching the 130-minute film, you realize how truly great General Douglas MacArthur was. He was a man of principle. The film enlightens the audience to this fact numerous times. One of his biggest personality traits was the complete hatred of giving up. When he witnessed firsthand the terrible predicament his men faced in The Philippines, he never spoke of surrender or defeat. He goes into a fit of rage after hearing the man he left in charge of the Philippines decided to surrender

to the Japanese. The audience understands that the men were in an unwinnable situation and surrender was the most logical choice. This allows you to understand the immovable object that is Douglas MacArthur. He sticks to his principles for better or for worse. Being a great leader means that you need to stay unaffected when times get bad. This allows the people you are leading to become more confident in the outcome of whatever situation you may face. During those terrible days when the Japanese surrounded the army in Bataan, MacArthur stood tall. When the camp was being bombed, he stayed calm and continued to go about his business; Staying stoic with his trademark sunglasses on. There is only one time during the whole film that MacArthur is shown scared. This event was the landing of troops in the battle of Inchon. MacArthur remarked it as the bullet that would have his name on it if it failed. During the whole operation the audience sees a worried MacArthur who is unsure if his gamble is going to succeed for fail miserably. It was that emotion that made the outcome that more exciting. General MacArthur is very well known to his attachment to his men. Unlike many other commanders, he likes to be close to the action. Him risking his life sent a strong message to his men that he was in the war with them. His attachment is seen right away when he plans on dropping his position as a four star general and enlisting as a private so that he can stay with his men in Bataan, despite the fact that the president has ordered him to leave. Minutes after the army land on the beaches of The Philippines, Macarthur once again puts himself in harms way. He eventually

goes all the way to the frontline, only a hundred feet from the battle. His men respond to this with great admiration for their leader. Living in the South Pacific for so long, General MacArthur became out of touch with the men in Washington. It was due to this disconnect that he began to criticize their decisions that directly affected him and his men. One of the biggest arguments he had with Washington was regarding the so-called blockade around The Philippines. MacArthurs men needed food and other supplies, but Washington was very adamant that the Japanese blockade could not be broken. MacArthur decided to risk his own life and escape the blockade with a PT boat, instead of the safer submarine option. When he is put into control over Japan, he makes numerous decisions without the White House. He also had to fight for his decision for an amphibious assault in the battle of Inchon, because most generals found it to be too risky. The movie helps put MacArthur in a good light, by emphasizing that all the decisions he made that were against Washington turned out to be right. A significant portion of the legend that is General Douglas MacArthur comes from his knack for the camera. His use of the media elevated him from a successful General to a demigod in the eyes of many Americans. He had an uncanny ability to be around the media, which resulted in many memorable quotes. One of these quotes is the famous, I came through and I shall return speech. The quote I shall return is even put on pencils and candy bars that are then dropped on the insurgents fighting the Japanese in The Philippines. The film continues to show the media following MacArthur as he stays true to his promise and returns to The

Philippines. His landing on the shores is recorded from multiple angles and immediately distributed across the world. The film really captures all the work that went into the depiction of MacArthur as the second coming of god. MacArthur has numerous media advisors who read him fan mail and help him pick out headshots. It seems almost silly that a five star general, who is known for being a rough and tough individual, needs this kind of treatment. The audience almost gets a feel of propaganda directed to better the image of General Douglas MacArthur. Even after his return to the Philippines, he uses his influence to broadcast a radio message asking all the guerrillas to strike now. Who would say no to a god? Even with all his artificial acts of displayed heroism, General MacArthur was a great man. Although he does use his arrival at an American POW as a huge photo opportunity, he shows a personal side away from the camera as well. When MacArthur enters one of the POW lodgings he talks with each soldier apologizing for his lateness in getting to them. It was at this moment that I shed a tear. For the first time, I knew that MacArthur was being sincere in his words. Without that scene, I would have viewed MacArthur in a different light. The film MacArthur also does an excellent job telling the unknown story about MacArthur. World War II ends a little past the half waypoint in the movie. This allows ample time for the audience to learn about the many other accomplishments from the great WWII General. The fact that I found most interesting was MacArthurs role as the ruler of Japan after the surrender. He immediately switched from a brilliant tactician to an even more amazing

bureaucrat. Douglas MacArthur paved the way for the Japan that we now know today. He started a program of industrialization and Americanization that made the country one of our strongest allies. Even doing away with their military so that its power could no longer affect the nation. The whole country owes a great deal of thanks to General MacArthur, but I fear that they only see him as a man that defeated them. One of the most entertaining parts of the film were the scenes that involved either FDR or Truman. MacArthur was seen as a rival to the authority of both of these presidents. They both found themselves bending to the will of MacArthur and the huge fan base that followed him. MacArthur truly followed the mantra, It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Truman would even go as far as to call him His Majesty MacArthur. His insubordination eventually cost him his command in post in the Pacific, but the people of America never thought less of him for his actions. The end of the film is a great send out for such a remarkable American. He concludes his speech with two great quotes. First he talks about the quote Old soldiers dont die, they just fade away. He says that he too will fade away. Macarthur then ends his speech with the solemn promise that his final thoughts will be the corps, the corps, the corps. Spoken like a true soldier. As you can see, the film truly lives up to its description of Where the legend ends and the man begins. The audience is shown the great accomplishments of MacArthur and how the media flocked to capture his every move. What is more

import is the untold story that the film made sure its audience understood. I now have a completely different view of MacArthur and view him more as the man responsible for rebuilding Japan into the great nation that is has become, than a great military strategist.

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