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Purple Hearts | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Sidney J. Furie |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Jan Kiesser |
Edited by | George Grenville |
Music by | Robert Folk |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 116 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2.8 million [1] [2] |
Box office | US$2,075,282 [3] |
Purple Hearts is a 1984 war film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Ken Wahl and Cheryl Ladd. The screenplay concerns a Navy surgeon and a Navy nurse who fall in love while serving in Vietnam during the war. Their affection for one another provides a striking contrast to the violence of warfare.
![]() | This article needs a plot summary.(November 2024) |
Despite having made a Vietnam War movie with The Boys in Company C , director Sidney J. Furie felt he had more to say about the war and wanted to explore romance and the “hunger for intimacy” in the setting. [1] Reteaming with The Boys in Company C co-writer Rick Natkin, Furie delivered the script to The Ladd Company who while enthusiastic about the script voiced concerns over the budget of a war film, which were abated after Furie worked out a relatively modest %2.8 million budget using his experience from The Boys in Company C. [1] Furie wrote the script with Ken Wahl in mind for Don Jardian who accepted the role immediately upon receiving the script. [1] Over a hundred actresses auditioned for the part of Deborah Solomon, until Cheryl Ladd was suggested, leading Furie to hire her on the spot following a cold reading. [1]
Purple Hearts received mostly currently holds a 20% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 5 reviews, with common points of criticism being the lack of chemistry between Wahl and Ladd, or too much of a reliance on coincidence and convenience in the plotting. [4] [3]
In his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert awarded the film half a star, writing, "This isn't war, this is bad plotting. And this isn't romance, it's soap opera.". [5]
In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote Purple Hearts had "an ending so contrived it may make your teeth ache.". [6]