Diagonaldi Very well executed

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

MartinHafer "The Fighting Lady" is a documentary about an Essex class aircraft carrier during its tour in 1943-1944. The film is narrated by Robert Taylor--who was a lieutenant in the Naval Air Corps. Interestingly, there was a French version and it was narrated by Charles Boyer. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary. The ship was apparently the USS Yorktown--but not the original one (it was lost as a result of damage sustained at the Battle of Midway in 1942).As you watch the film, you will no doubt notice that the print is in terrible condition, as the print is a bit blurry and the color is very faded. Perhaps it's made worse because originally it was shot on 16mm film stock.The film is particularly interesting for historians, navy and aircraft buffs and perhaps for folks who lived through the war. Otherwise, I doubt if the average person would enjoy the film very much or rent it or buy it in the first place. It isn't that it's poorly made--it's that it's just very dated and the narration a bit dry. But, if you can look past this, it is a very good film from start to finish.By the way, there were only two films nominated in this category for 1945--this one and "Resisting Enemy Interrogation"! Both are quite interesting and well made--and interesting peeks into the Americans in WWII.

glenandnola I must have been 9 or 10 years old when i saw this movie in my hometown of Simcoe, Ontario, Canada and remember being impressed with the brilliant colors of the ocean and sky. At that time as a kid living on a farm I had never seen an aircraft carrier and recall being amazed at the size of this ship. This past summer, without realizing it until I boarded the ship, I toured the actual carrier featured in this movie. It was decommissioned in 1983 and is now docked at Charleston S.C. It was here that I really discovered its immense size and climbed from deck to deck realizing the dedication of the officers and men must have had to keep this floating city operational. I seem to recall the high action and fast timing of this film. How I would love to see this wonderful movie again after all these years. Where can it be obtained?

bill-528 i saw this film as a child during world war 2 and it has stuck in my mind all these years. i remember the brilliant color and the aerial photography. i grew up in a texas town that had an army basic training post and the theater that day contained many, many basic trainees from camp wolters who cheered and clapped at the pro-american action. i can't believe this film isn't shown on the history channel and i further can't believe it isn't available to the american public.

stonyfield The Fighting Lady is an American made `docudrama' typical of much Hollywood's war years production. It is narrated by Hollywood star Robert Taylor who had enlisted in the US Navy during WWII. There is no central character, rather it is primarily the story of life aboard a typical American aircraft carrier during the middle war years in the pacific. It includes some spectacular color gun camera footage of strafing and bombing missions at the battles of Marcus, Truk, and Kwajalern and the Marians. It acknowledges US losses, but does not tell of their extent: our carrier aircraft losses at Truk, for example, were particularly severe. The movie seems to be preparing the US public for a possibly long and costly conclusion to the pacific war. It describes the campaign necessary to conclude the pacific war in some detail. It is a campaign that thankfully was cut short. It should be seen as essentially a propaganda film, and is worthwhile viewing especially from that perspective.