The biopic MacArthur (1977) was intended as Universal's "answer" to 20th-Century-Fox's enormously successful Patton (1970), but unfavorable comparisons to the former were inevitable. Originally planned as a three-hour epic, MacArthur focused on the general's highly publicized life from the fall of Corregidor in 1942 to the Korean War. The resulting film was considerably shorter (a mere 128 minutes) but, unlike Patton, it took a more introspective approach to its title character, avoiding costly recreations of major battles. Unfortunately, it was a box office disappointment which was particularly painful for producers David Brown and Richard Zanuck since MacArthur was their follow-up effort to Jaws (1975), the enormously successful blockbuster about a very different larger-than-life figure, a monstrous great white shark. In real life, General Douglas MacArthur's prickly personality made as many enemies as the worst sharks around. He was eventually fired from his post in the United States Army by one of those enemies, President Harry S. Truman, as depicted in the film.

Gregory Peck went into the title role of MacArthur with a strong dislike for the maverick Allied commanding hero of World War II. But, despite his initial revulsion for the hawkish MacArthur, Peck emerged from the experience with a deeper understanding and respect for this complex historical figure after walking in his shoes. Indeed, Peck has made a career embodying complex historical figures and instilling in them a humanity that reaches far deeper than the history books or first impressions. Peck has played Abraham Lincoln (The Blue and the Gray, a 1982 television miniseries), Nazi sadist Dr. Josef Mengele (The Boys from Brazil, 1978), F. Scott Fitzgerald (Beloved Infidel, 1959), Ambrose Bierce (Old Gringo, 1989) and the title role in Captain Horatio Hornblower(1951). Ironically, Peck did not serve in World War II himself, even though most of his generation did so. Peck tried to enlist but was turned down because of a spinal injury he incurred in a college-rowing match. In the absence of many established stars that were overseas fighting the fascists, Peck quickly became a very popular leading man in the movies, and remained so for four decades.

Director: Joseph Sargent
Producer: Frank McCarthy
Screenplay: Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins
Cinematography: Mario Tosi
Editor: George Jay Nicholson
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Cast: Gregory Peck (Gen. MacArthur), Ed Flanders (President Truman), Dan O'Herlihy (President FDR), Ivan Bonar (Gen. Sutherland), Ward Costello (Gen. George Marshall).
C-130m. Letterboxed.

by Scott McGee