Murray Goldblatt was U.S. soldier who served during World War II in Belgium, France, Czechoslovakia and Germany from 1943 to 1945, most likely with the 15th Finance Corps. Born in Brooklyn to a Jewish family, Murray worked in the family's hardware store before enlisting with the Army on January 23, 1943. After his release on December 27, 1945, Murray returned to New York and later settled in Princeton, NJ with longtime partner Jim Kane. He was an accountant by profession and active in GPP (Gay People of Princeton). Murray rarely spoke of his experiences during World War II even though he documented his travels on five reels of film with his personal movie camera.
Refer to Murray Goldblatt's shotlist describing the scenes and places in his five reels of 16mm film (100ft).
This film was preserved with a 2018 National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) grant.
Soldiers line up on a dock and board a ship. The ship from afar. A parting view of the dock. Smoke stacks on board the ship. Murray and fellow soldiers at the deck’s railing. A soldier shows off his American money. Ocean shots. Scenes of soldier life on the ship: playing cards, smoking cigarettes, reading, laughing, sleeping, getting sick over the side of the boat. Murray poses for the camera. More ocean shots. Shot of buildings on the coastline. A smaller rowboat by the side of the ship. Soldiers jump off this boat and swim in the ocean. More coastline shots. “The End.”
American soldiers return home