No Man Is an Island

1962 "Most incredible true story in U.S. Navy history!"
6.6| 1h54m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 20 September 1962 Released
Producted By: Universal International Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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The true story of George Tweed, an American sailor who became the only serviceman on the island of Guam to avoid capture by the Japanese during the early years of World War II.

Genre

Drama, Action, War

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Director

John Monks Jr., Richard Goldstone

Production Companies

Universal International Pictures

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No Man Is an Island Audience Reviews

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
Lechuguilla George Tweed (Jeffrey Hunter) is an American Navy man scheduled to leave the Pacific island of Guam and return to the U.S on December 7, 1941. But that's the day that Japanese planes bomb Pear Harbor. And Guam is now under surprise attack as well. Tweed and four of his Navy buddies have a choice. They can surrender to the enemy on Guam, or they can make a run for it. They decide to run. Not all of them survive.The title "No Man Is An Island" refers to a poem by English poet John Donne. The idea is that each person is connected to his or her surroundings. In the case of Tweed and his buddies, this connectivity comes in the form of substantial help they receive from Guam natives, sympathetic to Americans. And not all helpers are adults; some are children. This assistance, which comes with great sacrifice, is basically the theme of the film.Except for the Japanese enemy, most of the characters are likable, including Tweed. And his story on Guam is one of drama and adventure, as he draws on his own inner resourcefulness and courage to survive, to augment the help from others. I also like the Mrs. Nakamura character (Chichay), a native Asian woman, small in stature, but with a big heart. She is shrewd and spunky, as she endures the idiocy of those around her.Cinematography is acceptable for the era in which the film was made, but suffers in comparison to modern films. The use of day for night camera filters is obvious. And stock war footage, especially near the beginning and at the end, convey a cheap look and feel. Background music is annoying as it is so nondescript. Casting and acting are acceptable.The film is based on a true story. Whether all the plot points are historically accurate or some script liberties have been taken, I don't know. What I do know is that if it had not been for this film, I would have no idea that George Tweed ever existed. I'm glad that the film is available for viewing. "No Man Is An Island" is a fine WWII film that deserves to be seen by anyone interested in that historical era.
Jeff Evans I gave this film a 7 because it is still a great story about WWII on Guam. Having lived on Guam for 21 years I have known several of the people in the film and their families. Several have gone on to influential positions on Guam. The families are still there and are still prominent such as the Artero's, Nakumura's, Tanaka's, Perez' and more. There is a high school named for Father Duenas. George Tweed, who I had an opportunity to interview over the phone, remains a controversial character to this day. (Mr. Tweed was killed in a auto accident in 1989) Many feel that he cost the lives of many Chamorro's who helped him and that he was somewhat cavalier in his behavior while hiding out on Guam. It is a shame that the film was not shot on Guam and had Filipino's portraying Chamorro's but Guam's lack of film studios to run dailies and rushes along with it's military status in the early '60's is the reason, I'm sure. Tweed had no love interest on Guam as far as we know. There are no scorpions on Guam. The language being spoken by the Chamorro's is Tagolog (a Filipino dialect)and not the native Chamorro language. However, all this being said, it is still an enjoyable film that pays great respect to Mr. Tweed and the many, many loyal Chamorro's who helped him and eagerly awaited the liberation of their homeland by the Americans.
drystyx This is an excellent war movie based on a true story. The action is great, and the characters very identifiable. There is one really mean character, but his character does ring true for the times, and he reveals a prejudice that was present. In fact, as a historical adventure based on true events, certain liberties are taken to show higher truths. That is what this movie does. Characters will often be composites to show the events in a condensed version. Otherwise, the movie would be forty hours long. This movie centralizes on Tweed and four other Americans trying to escape occupied Japanese territory. They are aided by natives, and that is what the movie is about. Modern audiences won't like the fact that Tweed is a likable character. One of the advantages of older movies is that they didn't present all lead characters as ridiculous stereotypes and homicidal maniacs. Also, some puritans insist that every action be historically beyond doubt. To read some of the reviews here, you would think that they couldn't show Tweed eating rice without having a receipt for the rice in the Smithsonian Institute. Just enjoy a well done movie with great actors. Remember, who did the studio get to play the son of God in a later movie?
marcus-perkins-ctr Given that movies in the 50s and 60s were never meant to show the true life "grittiness" of war that we see in movies made today such as Saving Private Ryan, I was more turned off by the lack of truth to the story. As many others have said here, it's a great story worthy of a big budget production. I lived on Guam while in the Navy, and actually had the opportunity to go to what is called "Tweed's cave". Which by the way is located in the Northwest corner of the island on the Navy's Communnication station property. It's well worth the hike because you really get a sense of the life Tweed led in those 18month's. Watch the movie for it's own sake and not for the truthfulness of the story line.