Pride of the Marines

This true story is notable for its war scenes and for its depiction of returning wounded vets (as well as Garfield's outstanding performance). Al Schmid (Garfield) meets Ruth (Parker) on a blind date and becomes engaged to her just before enlisting in the Marines and getting shipped off to Guadalcanal. His machine gun crew defeats a Japanese assault but Al is blinded by a grenade. Hospitalized, depressed, and bitter, Al tells Ruth the engagement is off and can't be persuaded to try rehab until he gets told some hard truths by buddy Lee (Clark) and Ruth reassures him of her love. Director Daves uses a number of visual techniques to showcase Al's blindness and recovery.