DramaRomance

The Proud and Profane

- A MOVIE OF STARTLING FRANKNESS...!

In this romantic drama, beautiful Red Cross volunteer Lee Ashley arrives on the South Pacific island of New Caledonia to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the death of her husband, Howard, in the Battle of Guadalcanal. There, Ashley falls for the gruff, seductive Marine Lt. Col. Colin Buck, but struggle and tragedy follow when the widow learns about the reality of Buck's life back home.

Release Date : 1956-06-13

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Perlberg-Seaton ProductionsParamount Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Lt. Col. Colin Black

Original Name : William Holden

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lee Ashley

Original Name : Deborah Kerr

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kate Connors

Original Name : Thelma Ritter

Gender : Female

Character Name : Eddie Wodcik

Original Name : Dewey Martin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chaplain Lt. (jg) Holmes

Original Name : William Redfield

Gender : Male

Character Name : Louie

Original Name : Ross Bagdasarian

Gender : Male

Character Name : Eustace Press

Original Name : Adam Williams

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joan

Original Name : Marion Ross

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bob Kilpatrick

Original Name : Theodore Newton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Major

Original Name : Richard Shannon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lieutenant (jg) Hutchins

Original Name : Peter Hansen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sergeant Chester Peckinpaugh

Original Name : Ward Wood

Gender : Male

Character Name : Helen

Original Name : Geraldine Hall

Gender : Female

Character Name : Beth

Original Name : Evelyn Cotton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pat

Original Name : Ann Morriss

Gender : Female

Character Name : Evvie

Original Name : Nancy Stevens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sissie

Original Name : Lorraine Brox

Gender : Male

Character Name : Soldier

Original Name : Bob Kenaston

Gender : Male

Character Name : Marine

Original Name : Taylor Measom

Gender : Male

Character Name : Marine

Original Name : Don House

Gender : Male

Character Name : Casualty

Original Name : George Brenlin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Casualty

Original Name : Robert Morse

Gender : Male

Character Name : Casualty

Original Name : Ray Stricklyn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Harry

Original Name : Frank Gorshin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Big soldier

Original Name : Claude Akins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Injured Soldier (uncredited)

Original Name : Melvin Tecktiel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lili Carere (uncredited)

Original Name : Michele Montau

Gender : Female

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2025-01-05

"Lee" (Deborah Kerr) travels to the French colony of New Caledonia to do what she can for the war effort and after a brief conversation with her boss "Kate" (Thelma Ritter) we discover that she's gone all that way because her husband was killed at Guadalcanal. She's advised to focus on her nursing responsibilities and not to risk getting involved with any of the soldiers, and that goes fine until she butts heads with "Col. Black" (William Holden). He knew her late husband, or so he tells her, and as she clamours for more information about when, where and how he died the inevitable happens. Of course, we all know that something built on a pack lies isn't going to prove very robust, and as the deceit - and there's plenty of that on both sides as the story advances - is exposed, their relationship faces turmoil and tragedy. It's only when she finally reaches her husband's grave that things are put into true perspective. Might it all be too late by then? Thelma Ritter is always a reliable character actress but she has too little to get her teeth into here to make enough difference to whet is otherwise a rather pedestrian melodrama that neither Kerr nor Holden seem to be able to enliven. Even at their most torrid, their romance comes across as dry as a bone, indeed there's not much likeable about their characters and so I didn't really care what happened to either of them as this frankly quite thin story is stretched out for at least twenty minutes too long and seems contrived to introduce unwelcome baggage at just about every turn. To be fair, it's quite tightly cast and the story remains focussed on the two of them well enough, but I found the whole thing just too soapy and disinteresting.