Main Cast: Frank Sinatra, Clint Walker, Tommy Sands, Brad Dexter, Tony Bill
Release Year: 1965
Country: US/JP
Run Time: 105 minutes
Plot
Frank Sinatra took over the directors' chair for the first (and only) time in this unusual WWII drama. Lt. Kuroki (Tatsuya Mihashi) is the leader of a Japanese platoon stranded on a remote Pacific island, where with an iron hand he oversees the construction of a rescue ship. An American plane crash-lands on the island, leading to a skirmish between the two rag-tag legions; eventually, both sides call a truce, and medical officer Maloney (Sinatra) treats a Japanese soldier who was seriously wounded in the fighting. American commander Capt. Bourke (Clint Walker) and Lt. Kuroki come to an agreement -- they will work together to bring needed help to the island, but once either side's forces reach them, the fighting will pick up where it left off. None But the Brave was an international co-production of Artanis Productions (Sinatra's production company -- "Artanis" is Sinatra backwards), Warner Brothers, Tokyo Eiga, and Toho. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Tatsuya Mihashi - Lt. Kuroki; Takeshi Kato - Sgt. Tamura; Sammy Jackson - Cpl. Craddock; Richard Bakalyan - Cpl. Ruffino; Rafer Johnson - Pvt. Johnson; Jimmy Griffin - Pvt. Dexter; Christopher Dark - Private Searcy; Don Dorrell - Private Hoxie; Phillip Crosby - Pvt. Magee; Roger Ewing - Pvt. Swensholm; Kenji Sahara - Cpt. Fujimoto; Toru Ibuki - Pvt. Arikawa; Susumu Kurobe - Pvt. Goro; Richard Sinatra - Private Roth; Laraine Stephens - Lorie; Hisao Dazai - Pvt. Tokumaru; James McLarty - Patrol Member; Takashi Inagaki - Pvt. Ishii
Credit
LeRoy G. Deane - Art Director, Haruyoski Oshita - Art Director, David Salven - First Assistant Director, Frank Sinatra - Director, Sam O'Steen - Editor, Ranald Perryman - Editor, Howard W. Koch - Executive Producer, John Williams - Composer (Music Score), Morris W. Stoloff - Musical Direction/Supervision, Gordon Bau - Makeup, Shu Uemura - Makeup, Harold Lipstein - Cinematographer, Ranald Perryman - Cinematographer, Howard W. Koch - Producer, Frank Sinatra - Producer, Wroe Owens - Producer, Earl Podolnik - Producer, George James Hopkins - Set Designer, Eiji Tsuburaya - Special Effects, Stan Jones - Sound/Sound Designer, Ken Richardson - Screen Story, James E. McLarty - Screenwriter, Derek N. Twist - Screenwriter, Katsuya Suzaki - Screenwriter, John Twist - Screenwriter, Kikumaru Okuda - Short Story Author
A platoon of Japanese soldiers is stranded on an island in the Pacific with no means of communicating with the outside world. Lieutenant Kuroki (Tatsuya Mihashi) keeps his men firmly in hand and building a boat for their escape.
Then an American plane crashes in the jungle. On board is a platoon of American soldiers led by Captain Dennis Bourke (Clint Walker), Sergeant Bleeker (Brad Dexter) and 2nd Lieutenant Blair (Tommy Sands). Confidant to Bourke is the chief pharmacist mate (Frank Sinatra).
As both sides learn of each other's existence on the island, tension mounts resulting in a battle for the boat. The vessel is destroyed and a Japanese soldier is seriously injured. Calling a truce, Koruki trades the Americans access to water in exchange for a visit from their doctor to treat the wounded soldier, whose leg has to be amputated.
The truce results in both platoons living side by side, although a line is drawn forbidding one from encroaching on the other's side of the island. At first, there is some clandestine cooperation and trading, but eventually the truce breaks down and a bloody and senseless battle ensues, as an American fleet appears on the horizon.
This was the sixth of nine films produced by Frank Sinatra.
During filming, Sinatra and Dexter were swimming when Sinatra was caught in a riptide. Dexter brought Sinatra to shore. Sinatra rewarded him by letting him produce films for him. Dexter said the incident ruined their friendship.
Trivia
The title is from the John Dryden poem, "Alexander's Feast", stanza 1: "None but the brave/ deserve the fair."
International posters featured one half the American cast, the other had the Japanese cast with the island in the middle.
The executive producers were famed cinematographer and former president of the American Society of Cinematographers, William H. Daniels and Howard W. Koch, former president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
The Director of Special Effects was Eiji Tsuburaya, who worked on several of the Godzilla pictures for Toho studios and numerous other sci-fi films.
Jimmy Griffin (who portayed Pvt Dexter in the film) went on to form the successful 1970's rock band BREAD alongside singer David Gates, writing a number of successful compositions. He won an Academy Award in 1970 as co-writer (under the pseudonym of Arthur James) on "For All We Know", later a huge hit for The Carpenters.
