War was a bit of a lark in many Errol Flynn movies but not in this excellent remake of the 1930 Howard Hawks film. It is set in the Journey's End world of stiff upper lips and wondering about the slaughter - yes, it became a cliche, but it wasn't here, and it is still powerful, mostly because you know it really happened and its made by ex soldiers - director Edmund Goulding, stars Basil Rathbone and David Niven (who hadn't seen action yet but his father had died at Gallipolli), co-writer John Monk Saunders. And for all the jolly-good-chaps dialogue and befriending Germans who've tried to kill them, there's no denying the character's desperation as they booze away and try not to think about tomorrow.Errol gives an excellent performance, the perfect dashing hero tired by war but trying to keep his spirits up - he's maybe a little over his head in the later scenes when he's character takes command but since his character is over his head it suits. Niven is excellent, too - he and Flynn have real camraderie, their boozing jousting sessions feel natural and warm - and I love the use of zoom on Flynn by Goulding when Flynn realises Niven's not dead like he thought.
Fans of the "male gaze" from gay directors may get something from analysing this all-male war film: note the number of pretty young boys in the cast, the non leads, such as the one who has a breakdown because his "best friend" dies (he can't understand why Flynn doesn't get as upset when Niven dies). It's not overt, just different from the handling of, say, a Raoul Walsh or Michael Curtiz.
Basil Rathbone and Donald Crisp provides strong support - Rathbone in a sort-of sympathetic role (he does have sadistic relish when he passes his job over to Flynn), Crisp in his normal cuddly part. Three main action sequences - two involving Flynn in which despite all the film's anti-war stance he is shown to demolish the Germans pretty easily.
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