So Proudly We Hail! is war drama film from 1943 that was directed and produced by Mark Sandrich and starring screen greats Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, and Veronica Lake. Paulette Goddard was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this film, which is indeed one of her very best!

So Proudly We Hail! follows three military nurses who are sent to the Philippines during the early days of World War II. The film is told in flashback with the nurses all reflecting on the tireless work they did, being transferred from station to station and remembering their love interests. The films’ three leads, Lt. Janet Davidson (Claudette Colbert, The Gilded Lily, Imitation of Life, Zaza), Lt. Joan O’Doul (Paulette Goddard (The Cat and the Canary, The Women, City Streets) and Lt. Olivia D’Arcy (a nearly unrecognizable Veronica Lake, The Glass Key, The Blue Dahlia), work feverishly take care of all the injured men during the war. During the war, Lt. Davison finds romance with Lt. John Summers (screen legend George Reeves, Jungle Goddess, The Strawberry Blonde, Adventures of Superman). Joan O’Doul has a fling with a gentleman named Kansas (Sonny Tufts, Cat-Women of the Moon, The Crooked Way) In addition to the romances going on, there is drama as Lt. Olivia D’Arcy has become so cynical that none of the nurses want to share a room with her. She even fights with the nurses! It is revealed that she lost her future husband during the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Since then, she has the urge kill all the Japanese people she comes across. There also are some chaotic moments with the nurses having to take cover from all the bombs dropping on them from the Japanese.

So Proudly We Hail! is an excellent war film with a fantastic cast. The romantic subplot with Lt. John Summers and Lt. Janet Davidson to me was the most compelling part of the story as they keep getting separated and then somehow were reunited. John has big plans for himself with Janet as their love grows stronger. Veronica Lake was great as a hateful nurse; it wasn’t a big part, but it was certainly unforgettable.  The word “jap” was used frequently in the movie, so be forewarned. It was the 1940s so racist words like that were used often in films, especially during wartime!  

Kino Lorber releases So Proudly We Hail! on Blu-ray. Sporting a brand new 2K master, the picture quality is stunning with a nice clean looking black and white image. The whites are strong with inky blacks that have excellent shadow delineation. The greyscale looks perfectly balanced. Contrast looks strong throughout the video presentation. Film grain is also present during the viewing, which keeps the movie looking organic and film-like. There are a lot of details to the characters faces during close-ups. There is one blip that occurs around the forty-one-minute mark but otherwise, this looks great. No DNR or other artificial enhancements appear to have been used.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless audio track for this release is excellent with clear dialogue to go with robust, slightly more aggressive action noises, such as exploding bombs and grenades during the scenes of battle. No age-old anomalies such as drop-offs or hissing were detected. English subtitles are available.

On Kino’s Blu-ray there is an audio commentary track by Film Historian and Writer Julie Kirgo. The commentary she offers some insight into the cast and crew, World War II and other topics that are worth the listen.

Trailers for other Kino Lorber releases for this release include So Proudly We Hail!, The Gilded Lily, Since You Went Away, Thunder on the Hill, Nothing but the Truth, Reap the Wild Wind, Unconquered, Wake Island, and Five Graves to Cairo round out the extras.

Even though I am not a fan of war films, So Proudly We Hail! was worth watching due to the cast. It held my interest throughout. It is a film that should be viewed or revisited by fans of the genre. The Blu-ray for the film offers top-notch audio and video quality, plus it has a great commentary track by Julie Kirgo! I can easily recommend this release of an under the radar classic!

So Proudly We Hail!

Director- Mark Sandrich

Cast- Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake

Country of Origin- USA

Distributor – Kino Lorber

Number of Discs – 1

Reviewed by – David Steigman

Date –9/27/2022