Sands of Iwo Jima - BLU-RAY

John Wayne earned a 1949 Best Actor Academy Award nomination for one of his most iconic roles, as the battle-hardened leader of a squad of recruits, in Allan Dwan's SANDS OF IWO JIMA. Haunted by his personal demons, Marine Sgt. John Stryker is both hated and feared by his men, who see him as a cold-hearted sadist. But when their boots hit the beaches, they begin to understand the reason for Stryker's rigid form of discipline, as he leads them into one of the most treacherous battles in the Pacific. Emotionally gripping, punctuated with intense battle scenes, all bound together by Wayne's larger-than-life performance, Sands of Iwo Jima is the quintessential WWII film.

One of the first Hollywood films to honestly deal with American front line forces in WWII, this blistering saga recounts the true story of a handful of Marines who fought off an overwhelming Japanese land, air, and sea attack for 16 days. Brian Donlevy stars as the base commander, Macdonald Carey is a young pilot, Robert Preston and William Bendix are a pair of unruly privates, and Albert Dekker is a civilian contractor. 88 min. Standard; Soundtrack English; Subtitles English; audio commentary; theatrical trailer.

In 1949, Ensign Jesse L. Brown (Jonathan Majors)-the first African-American Naval officer to earn pilot wings-reported for service on the aircraft carrier Leyte. The strong bond he'd forge with newly assigned wingman Thomas Hudner (Glen Powell) as the ship was ordered to the Korean Peninsula would be repeatedly, and ultimately fatefully, tested in the North Korean skies. Earnest and fact-based battle opus also stars Christina Jackson, Joe Jonas, Thomas Sadoski, Serinda Swan. 138 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack English.