irishbeerfire
This patriotic war film is the bees knees for slap stick, witty comedy. The mixture of wussy brown nosing privates and annoyed sarcastic generals provides a hilarious bitter sweet feeling that can put a smile on your face. Not to mention the constant friendly rivalry between the comedic loud mouthed Captain Flagg (Cagney being Cagney), and the irritated Sergeant Quirt played by Dailey, for the cute and innocent French waitress Charmaine. This movie not only made a great world war 1 film, but proved Cagney was still his energetic, pound for pound, hard nosed self even at 53 years old. The only downside to the movie was the poorly portrayed dramatic war speeches and the failed attempts at giving a life lesson. But all around 8/10
Robert J. Maxwell
I can't remember the silent version, which I saw years ago. I think it's probably best known for the fact that the cuss words of Captain Flagg and Sergeant Quirt were clearly discernible, even to viewers without advanced training in lip reading. I have no idea what the original play was like.Ford's version could be described as pointless, energetic, and at times extremely amusing. There are battle scenes, of course, because this romantic triangle between Flagg (Cagney), Quirt (Dailey), and Charmaine (Calvet) is being played out against the muddy background of World War I. But, with a few exceptions, the combat scenes, like the romance, are played for laughs. And not in the black-comedy manner of "Dr. Strangelove," either. (That sort of ridiculous tragedy might be beyond Ford's comprehension.) No, the shots of Dailey and Cagney crawling through the mud of No Man's Land with a German prisoner in tow are funny in themselves. Even when the German is killed by shell fire and Dailey is wounded.It's in no way a "deep" film. Nothing so banal as "war is hell." And it is certainly not one of those anti-war films in which we bleed, sometimes without purpose, but we always win in the end. Flagg's unit marches off to battle yet again, with some of the men limping from wounds and Flagg himself drunk, but there is no triumphant final clash.As pure entertainment, it succeeds fully. The Ephrons, who wrote the screenplay, must have had second sight into the interests and talents of Ford, Cagney, and Dailey because they're all superb. The dialog has to be heard to be enjoyed. Waving his finger as if in an Italian opera, Cagney shouts at the heroic Robert Wagner, "Boy -- I'm going to see that you are sent up for a decoration! Furthermore -- I PERSONALLY am going to give you -- TEN FRANCS!" Cagney has never given a more outrageously animated performance, brusque, stomping, marching around, fuming, looking cockeyed. All his mannerisms are here and he plays them to the hilt. Dailey is only a few steps behind him. And Corinne Calvet as the perfidious Charmaine puts what she has into the role but the character, while maddeningly flirtatious, comes across as a little insipid too. How could it be otherwise? Look at the company she's in.Wagner's love affair with the school-girlish Marissa Pavan is taken seriously, though, and a sappy, sentimental love song is sneaked into the script. Calvet sings a couple of period songs too, but they're mercifully brief. I never cared a fig whether Flagg or Quirt or either of them got to marry Charmaine. And the "what price glory?" speech, given by a seriously wounded Marine, is misdirected at Flagg. Whatever else Flagg may be interested in, it's not glory.Ford had his demons and was not an easy man to work with, or even necessarily to be acquainted with. In his memoirs, James Cagney recounts some stunt Ford had performed over and over, involving a motorcycle and sidecar plowing into a pile of manure. The gags weren't funny. They were just sadistic and dangerous. And a few years after this release, Ford called Robert Wagner into his office and asked if he was interested in the part of Martin Pawley in the upcoming "The Searchers." Wagner eagerly said yes, and Ford asked why. Wagner explained -- great script, fascinating character, and so on, until Ford replied, "That's too bad because I've already given the part to Jeffery Hunter." The disappointed Wagner was half-way out the door when Ford stopped him. "Do you REALLY want that part badly?" "Yes," said Wagner. Ford said, "But Jeffrey Hunter is going to play it." End of interview.Ford's Schadenfreude notwithstanding, it's hard to beat this comedy for sheer momentum. When James Gleason, as a Marine General, sweeps into Cagney's office with a map he wants Cagney to examine, the two of them simply brush all the junk on Cagney's desk onto the floor and spread out the map. What kind of mind thinks up such a gesture?
Claudio Carvalho
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")
Nick Zegarac (movieman-200)
"What Price Glory" is a World War I lover's triangle set against the ravaged backdrop of French countryside circa, 1918. Drama aside, the film is not what one might expect from directorial giant John Ford. James Cagney is a bit over the hill to be believable as Capt. Flagg, a stoic commander of a motley troupe of conscripts. Flagg's ill at ease postulating does not bode well with his men, so he turns to disrespectful and disreputable Sgt. Quirt (Dan Dailey) for a little bit of hard knock military strength. But the tensions between Flagg and Quirt are pressed to the breaking point when they both fall for the same girl – stop me if you've heard this one before. Strong performances elevate this film above the tripe that – generally – it is. THE TRANSFER: Frankly, not up to snuff. Although the overall color scheme has retained much of its original luster, the picture quality is a disappointment. There is an excessive amount of film grain and age related artifacts throughout for a not very smooth visual presentation. Fluctuations in color balancing are – at times – severe and distracting. There is a minor amount of digital grit that further detracts from the image. Black levels are weak. Contrast and shadow delineation is poorly balanced for a very unstable looking presentation. The audio has been cleaned up but remains strident sounding and lacking in bass quality. EXTRAS: As with the other war films in this batch from Fox, you get nothing to augment your experience. BOTTOM LINE: "What Price Glory" isn't recommended either as a war film, or for its transfer quality. Seek satisfying your thirst for conquest elsewhere.
