As the last work of one of America,s greatest film directors,Chesty is a short and sincere tribute to the most decorated of US Marine officers but is troubling in exposing Ford,s sometimes (not always) uncritical celebration of military traditions. If the film had been seen when it was shot,in 1970,with the Viet Nam war still raging,the use as host of the aging John Wayne,associated at the time with The Green Berets film and criticism of peace demonstrators,might have come off as offensive.We should focus instead on the tightly put together look back at Chesty Puller,s career,using footage from 1920s Haiti and Nicaragua involvements,Guadalcanal and New Guinea in WWII,and finally Korea; the elegiac use of blurry dissolves and superimpositions to weave the present of Puller,s participation in brightly colored parades in his honor with images of the past as he remembers them.
2 Reviews
John Ford's last film
dtucker8617 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This documentary is the last work by legendary director John Ford. Lieutenant General Lewis "Chesty" Puller was the only Marine in history to win five Navy crosses (the award is second to the Medal of Honor). To this day, he is the most decorated Marine in the history of the Corps a legend who is revered as the greatest leatherneck of all time. Narrated by John Wayne, this film takes us through Puller's amazing life from his days as a boot on Parris Island to his brave service in World War II and Korea. Puller was loved for his bravery and his firm but caring leadership. For example, he once found out his base didn't have an enlisted club and he immediately had one built and gave the Marines a three day pass with free beer! Is it any wonder they all loved him so much! Of course he took them on a twenty mile hike afterwards. What this documentary doesn't mention is the sad story about Puller's son Lewis Jr. Who was horribly wounded in Vietnam losing his hands and both of his legs. After a long struggle with alcoholism he took his own life in 1994.
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