One of those "oh yeah he made that didn't he" John Ford movies - a remake of a very influential 1920s play, whose influence can be felt on Ford's work with its quarrelling soldiers.
I actually didn't mind this. It should have been made on location at this stage in the game - the colour photography doesn't look good in the studio setting. You can sense it was once meant to be a musical - Corinne Calvet sings a number in a bar, and Marissa Pavan sings (well, mimes) to Robert Wagner.
But the basic material is still strong - two experienced soldiers squabbling with each other, stealing the same woman, then being brave, and going back to squabbling.
It's a strong cast but it doesn't quite click. It was weird to watch - individually Jimmy Cagney, Dan Dailey and Corinne Calvet were fine, but... they didn't have the right chemistry. I believed Cagney and Dailey on their own but not as long term rivals. I bought Calvet as a French tavern owner - she's bright and engaging - but I never felt Cagney or Dailey were genuinely interested in her. I just really wish John Wayne and Ward Bond were in it (they played in a stage production directed by Ford along with Gregory Peck and Maureen O'Hara!)
The best section is in a dug out when a soldier has a breakdown, and Robert Wagner dies. This has a serious element that the film could have done with more of.
It's vigorous and bright. No classic but decent enough.
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