What Price Glory (1952)

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Admirable film.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I came across this quite by accident last night. I was flipping channels and came across TUrner Classic Movies and this movie was being introduced. It has to be good if James Cagney is in it. Dan Dailey too? Great, two fine talents. John Ford directing? This movie has got to be great.I watched for about 40-45 minutes. I won't get those minutes back. What I saw was an rather silly competition over a somewhat attractive barmaid. No heat. No charisma by any of the participants. I caught the misnaming of many things like companies, calling marines "soldiers". I just was surprised with talent in this movie that something smart didn't come out of it.I was so ticked off I just turned off the TV. My watching of this "movie" was over in 45 minutes. I have no idea if in minute 46 on to the end they included something brilliant or not. I had to save myself. I was shocked at how worthless this movie was.Now, I know why this was the very first time is was going to be shown on TCM! My advice: run as far as possible away from this "movie".

Before John Ford directed this film version of What Price Glory, he directed a stage version for charity which was presented by the Masquers Club of Hollywood. The play was actually so popular it was taken on the road around Southern California to several other locations. Among the stars of that production were John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Ward Bond, Gregory Peck, Pat O'Brien, George O'Brien, Rod Cameron, and Harry Carey, Jr.Maybe that's why he directed this film version, though from what I understand it was originally planned as a full musical (rather than a comedy-drama with a few songs, as it now stands). Supposedly this was the reason Cagney was so eager to do it. And of course Dan Dailey was also a dancer. And Phoebe and Henry Ephron often wrote the screenplays for some of the better Fox musicals. The musical angle also may explain why the film was done in Technicolor (or not.) Another reviewer wrote, "The job of direction was handed to John Ford, who was known for staging extended improvisations, creating little vignettes of military life with comical drunkenness and good-natured fistfights." I suppose that is one thing Ford was known for. He was also known for directing "They Were Expendable," one of the most moving war films ever made.

In 1918, in Bar-de-Duc, France, the leader of a company of Marines in the front, Captain Flagg (James Cagney), receives a group of green replacements and his disaffection, the tough Sergeant Quirt (Dan Dailey). Their rivalry increases when they both feel attracted by the same easy woman and daughter of the local innkeeper, Charmaine (Corinne Calvet).What a disappointing and silly parody of war this "What Price Glory" is! Directed by John Ford and with James Cagney in the cast, I could not believe that this film would be so weak. Today I have watched "The Road to Glory", a great anti-war movie directed by Howard Hawks that shows the barbarian life in the trenches in WWI. However, John Ford has made neither a comedy (like Robert Altman's "MASH"), nor a romance or drama or war movie. Actually it is a messy feature, too silly and not funny for a comedy, too heavy for a romance and unreal for a drama or war, but with a magnificent cinematography and a lovely Corinne Calvet. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "Sangue por Glória" ("Blood for Glory")

Excellent performances by James Cagney and Dan Dailey with good support from William Demarest and a super young Robert Wagner. Interesting contrast of characters from the battle tested professionals like Cagney and Dailey to the fresh out of basic training and high school Wagner. Also brings out the issue of battle fatigue or "shell-shocked" and how it sometimes affects soldiers directly and indirectly by its effect on the morale of their buddies. The interaction with the townspeople is also well done. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this movie every time I have seen it. It is like vintage wine and seems to get better with age. The first time I saw this movie was in l954 and I learned to sing the song "Its a long way to Tipperary" from watching it one time.