Made immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and released in 1942, Wake Island tells of the struggles of the U.S. military forces and civilian contractors facing a Japanese invasion of Wake Island following the Japanese bombing of Perl Harbor.

Overall the movie is well made and the characters are believable.  We must understand that this film was made, primarily, as a propaganda piece.  Even so, abject racism is not in evidence, though some cultural portrayals are a bit heavy handed.

The film focuses on the struggles of the marines and contractors on Wake Island as they face multiple invasions.  It details some of the tactics they used to hold out for over two (2) weeks and highlights acts of individual heroism, even though all names have been changed.  The film captured the spirit of the defenders even while it strayed rather far from the facts.

With a blend of humor and action and drama, it is an enjoyable.  With the suggestion that the defenders died to the last man, it does a bit of a disservice to the marines who were ordered to surrender and who spent the rest of the war in brutal and dangerous conditions.

A list of actors can be found here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035530/

While a more in depth explanation of the events is available in the following book review:

http://www.rambles.net/sloan_given04.html