1 January
1944
With the Marines at Tarawa
US Marine Corps photographic units
19 min
With the Marines at Tarawa (1944). US Marine Corps photographic units. Held by the Internet Archive;
Nineteen minutes from the Betio beachhead, November 1943, shot by Marine cameramen, several of whom were casualties.
The note
The decision to show American dead was taken at the top: the President agreed that the home front needed to understand what the Pacific was costing. It won the Academy Award for short documentary. The audio is mostly surf, small-arms fire and a narration that does not soften anything. Federal work, no copyright.
With the Marines at Tarawa, 1944. US Marine Corps photographic units. Directed by Louis Hayward, officer in charge. This is the film’s soundtrack: narration, score and location sound, streamed from the Internet Archive’s master. No picture — the audio is the work. A work of the United States government, and therefore free of copyright anywhere it is used.
1 January
1944
US Marine Corps photographic units
19 min
With the Marines at Tarawa (1944). US Marine Corps photographic units. Held by the Internet Archive;