Right now, war movies are in demand, and studies are happy to meet the demand by producing low-cost, easily-slapped-together films. According to one Boston film distributor, "for awhile the industry couldn't make them fast enough; we had to reissue or reprint old films. When the public wants war movies, they're willing to take almost anything. You can't spend too much time making them; you have to satisfy the market immediately.

"The popularity of war movies runs in cycles dependent on the world situation," he added. "Just before a war, the adventures of the 'buck private in training' are released; in the early stages of war comes the patriotic 'glory' movie to boost morale; and about three years after war, the muddy and gory 'battlefield' picture that gives the public a feeling of relief and gratitude."

In the run-of-the-mill war movie, the theme invariably falls into one of three categories; and all three categories are currently enjoying a considerable vogue.

One group of films burrows into the mud and slime of war. This is the "war is hell" theme, and it centers around the enlisted man. You don't necessarily see the enemy, but the enemy sees you, and he overhears you in your foxhole, when you talk about home, and what you're going to do after the war, and when will the whole mess be over . . . and then, "BANG," and your buddy is dead. Up until the final scene, the fatality rate in this movie is three buddies to one enemy, but the last scene is really brutal.

Another category is the "Superman" theme--with emphasis on the bravery of the officers. In this one, a limping bomber, armed with a book of matches and three drums of gasoline, takes every chance in the annals of heroism, claiming half the enemy fleet destroyed; the other half is taken care of by a submarine commander, C. Dexter Collins of Chestnut Hill. Among the sub crew are Levine from Brooklyn, Gambaroni from the other side of the tracks, and George Washington Lincoln from Georgia.

In the "buck private at training camp" series you get a chance to see the buddy system at work. One guy is wise, the other is dumb, and the script writer is the silent third party who applies old jokes to new faces.

These are the categories, but outside the categories is the issue of war movies in general. The motion picture industry has a responsibility to its public, and how well the industry is assuming that responsibility by its emphasis on war pictures is a matter of dispute. The urge to satisfy public demand in terms of box office sales does not always mesh with the urge to improve and enlighten.