December 7, 1941. Navy man George Tweed (Jeffrey Hunter, The Searchers, A Kiss Before Dying) is ecstatic to be spending his last day on Guam after receiving his discharge papers. But this is the day “which will live in infamy,” as America—and Tweed—are suddenly thrust into global conflict with the Japanese bombing attack on Pearl Harbor. At this fateful moment, all American military personnel on Guam are either killed or surrender to the invading Japanese forces. All, except for five seamen who escape into the mountains. One by one they are tracked down and killed. There’s only one survivor: Tweed. Alone, hungry and hunted by the enemy, he begins a heroic ordeal that lasts almost three years. Co-starring Marshall Thompson (To Hell and Back) and introducing the “Audrey Hepburn of the Philippines,” Barbara Perez, No Man Is an Island is an incredible true story filled with action, thrills and ultimately, love.
For thoughts on No Man Is An Island, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/ryBLRvEkLeE?t=1576]
Video Quality
Kino Classics presents No Man Is An Island with a gorgeous Blu-Ray in 1.85:1 from what appears to be a dated master that is in good shape. This transfer retains the natural film grain of the presentation with only brief instances of it seeming a bit on the thick or clumpy side. There are some baked-in moments of softness, but for the most part there is some nice, crisp detail present. The presentation is often impressive with image stability and delineation being handled well.
Instances of print damage such as nicks and lines still occasionally flash on the screen, but the elements seem to have been taken care of over the years with clarity and detail appearing strong. The gorgeous island hues are pleasantly saturated with the bright colors popping off the screen. Skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up pretty firmly with little in the way of crush. Kino Classics has done a fine job with this presentation.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a good DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this film mostly well. Dialogue comes through with only a hint of distortion in a few moments. By and large it sits in harmony with all competing elements. The sound effects and music appear to be faithful to the intent of the creative team. This track shows very little in the way of major age related wear and tear such as hissing or popping. The fidelity of the score complements the narrative favorably with only the slightest bit of strain in the higher registers. Nothing ever overpowers the dialogue or other important information. Kino Classics provides a good level of quality here. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism Author Steven Jay Rubin provide a very informative commentary track in which they discuss how this fits into the history of war pictures, how Universal distributed this independent feature, the background of the ensemble players, how this compares to the real life history of this story, the scarcity of the film on home entertainment and much more.
- Trailers: The nearly two-and-a-half minute trailer for No Man Is An Island is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Gun For A Coward, A Kiss Before Dying, Beach Red, The Great Escape, The Train, The Devil’s Brigade and 633 Squadron.
Final Thoughts
No Man Is An Island is a very entertaining war picture that scales down the large scale conflict of Pearl Harbor and its fallout into a more personal tale. The picture is a bit glossy in its narrative content, especially when it comes to the natives of Guam, but that is to be expected from this time period (and studio filmmaking in general). Jeffrey Hunter is an amiable enough leading man, but Barbara Perez quietly steals the show in her underdeveloped role. This is the type of film that plays up the concept of American ingenuity, and if you are in the mood for that it will serve you well. Kino Classics has released a new Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and an informative commentary track. This is worth seeking out if you appreciate character-driven war narratives. Recommended
No Man Is An Island is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
