A truly neglected classic film that deserves immediate attention is this Fox war melodrama that effortlessly combines a war action premise with requisite amounts of soap opera. The picture stars Fredric March and Warner Baxter as two officers stationed in France during WWI, and it is directed by Howard Hawks. Mr. Hawks had helmed a silent film at Fox with the same title ten years before. This production bears no real thematic resemblance to Hawks' earlier effort.
At the center of the story is a triangle between March, Baxter and pretty June Lang. Though it is not directly stated that Lang is playing a prostitute due to the production code, it is heavily implied. She serves as the kept woman of a commanding officer (Baxter). Her family has lost their home during the war, and due to her impoverished conditions, she's been providing comfort to a man like Baxter.
To her credit, she acknowledges the fact she doesn't exactly love him. She does have gratitude for Baxter, since he moved her relatives to a safer part of the country away from the fighting, and he's sending them money. But that's as far as her loyalty goes.
Complicating their relationship is the fact that while volunteering at a local hospital to help nurses treat wounded soldiers, she meets one of Baxter's right hand men (March). She is actively pursued by March, and initially spurns his advances...but then does find herself falling in love with him. The film's clever writers (one of them is William Faulkner) keep both Baxter and March in the dark about their shared love interest, and the men do not learn the truth that they are rivals until a key moment during battle.
One thing I really enjoy about the picture is that March and Baxter both seem to be cast against type (not necessarily miscast)...and this works to the film's advantage. Baxter typically played more respectable characters, while March wasn't afraid to portray monstrous, morally questionable characters. Here March is the sincere one trying to do right, while Baxter is taking men to the front and lying to them while setting them up to be killed. Because the two lead stars are performing roles they wouldn't normally take on, they get to stretch their respective acting muscles.
There is a wonderful subplot involving Lionel Barrymore on loan out from home studio MGM. Initially we see him appear as an old codger trying to serve in the war. He gets thrown out as being unfit due to his advanced age. He tries again to join the men in battle, and the second time he succeeds with a bit of trickery-- burning a paper that orders his removal from the area. We learn during this extended second sequence that he is in fact Baxter's father, hoping to serve alongside his son, to make his son proud of him. Barrymore is brilliant playing a rascal finagling one last chance at redemption.
If you like ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT and PATHS OF GLORY, you will love THE ROAD TO GLORY.
At the center of the story is a triangle between March, Baxter and pretty June Lang. Though it is not directly stated that Lang is playing a prostitute due to the production code, it is heavily implied. She serves as the kept woman of a commanding officer (Baxter). Her family has lost their home during the war, and due to her impoverished conditions, she's been providing comfort to a man like Baxter.
To her credit, she acknowledges the fact she doesn't exactly love him. She does have gratitude for Baxter, since he moved her relatives to a safer part of the country away from the fighting, and he's sending them money. But that's as far as her loyalty goes.
Complicating their relationship is the fact that while volunteering at a local hospital to help nurses treat wounded soldiers, she meets one of Baxter's right hand men (March). She is actively pursued by March, and initially spurns his advances...but then does find herself falling in love with him. The film's clever writers (one of them is William Faulkner) keep both Baxter and March in the dark about their shared love interest, and the men do not learn the truth that they are rivals until a key moment during battle.
One thing I really enjoy about the picture is that March and Baxter both seem to be cast against type (not necessarily miscast)...and this works to the film's advantage. Baxter typically played more respectable characters, while March wasn't afraid to portray monstrous, morally questionable characters. Here March is the sincere one trying to do right, while Baxter is taking men to the front and lying to them while setting them up to be killed. Because the two lead stars are performing roles they wouldn't normally take on, they get to stretch their respective acting muscles.
There is a wonderful subplot involving Lionel Barrymore on loan out from home studio MGM. Initially we see him appear as an old codger trying to serve in the war. He gets thrown out as being unfit due to his advanced age. He tries again to join the men in battle, and the second time he succeeds with a bit of trickery-- burning a paper that orders his removal from the area. We learn during this extended second sequence that he is in fact Baxter's father, hoping to serve alongside his son, to make his son proud of him. Barrymore is brilliant playing a rascal finagling one last chance at redemption.
If you like ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT and PATHS OF GLORY, you will love THE ROAD TO GLORY.