Marines in the Making is a 1942 short film (nine minutes) directed by Herbert Poelsie and produced by Pete Smith.
It's a propaganda film about, well, the Marines. The film is a documentary about Marine training. We see Marine recruits engaging in calisthenic-type training, doing stuff like running in formation and swinging over obstacles on ropes. The recruits go through bayonet practice, and then engage in various forms of hand-to-hand combat training. Finally, a senior Marine officer arrives for their graduation ceremony, a recruit recites the "Rifleman's Creed
", and the film ends.
Tropes:
- Brief Accent Imitation: A little casual racism as Smith discusses how the Americans learned the art of using bamboo sticks in combat from the Japanese, which he follows by saying "Ah so" in a terrible Japanese accent.
- Combat Pragmatist: Discussed Trope. Pete Smith's narration says "To save their lives, they must fight foul, just like their opponents fight." This is followed by scenes of Marines practicing how to sneak up on a sentry from behind and choke him to death.
- Documentary: Marine training, which builds both physical fitness and close combat skills.
- Match Cut: It's mentioned that one of the drill instructors, Dick Hanley, was a football coach at Northwestern. This is followed by a shot of football players conducting one-on-one drills, which cuts to a near-identical scene of Marine recruits doing one-on-one drills.
- Mood Dissonance: "Pete Smith Specialties" were usually about something weird or wacky, with Pete Smith providing droll, snarky narration throughout. It's a little weird to hear him maintain the same chipper, droll tone while describing how young Marine recruits practice choking their enemies into unconsciousness and slitting their throats.
- Narrator: Pete Smith narrating the action in a wry, amused manner, as usual.
- Semper Fi: The Marines! They're badass!
- Storming the Beaches: It's what Marines do, and the opening shot of the film shows them practicing just that.
- Training Montage: The whole movie, as Marine recruits are shown going about practicing the skills they'll need in combat against the Japanese.
