Customer Reviews

The Real Glory

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE REAL GLORY (1939) I LOVED this movie. This is one of Coopers best and just an all around great action flick. For those that enjoyed things like LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER and GUNGA DIN I'm certain you'll enjoy this film as well.

Set in 1906 Philippines where American troops are getting ready to pull out, the US wants the Philippine constabulary to be able to defend themselves. The situation is a model for similar trouble spots across the globe. The US hopes to train them to be able to defend themselves from a neighboring warlord and his fanatical warriors. If America succeeds, then they will be able to train local militia in other countries and be able to withdraw more US troop's abroad (sound eerily familiar?).

The Warlord is trying to lure the Americans into the jungle where he has the advantage and can easily ambush them. The American military knows this and until the local militia has had enough training to be able to defend themselves, the Americans have strict orders not to enter the jungle. However, the Warlord has a spy in the American/Philippine camp and helps launch a series of assassination attempts on the American commanders in the hopes of drawing them out.

Left to train and be in charge of the Philippines is Reginald Owen who, unknown to everyone else, is slowly going blind. He commands army doctor Gary Cooper and fellow soldiers David Niven and Broderick Crawford. Also on hand is Owens daughter played by Andrea Leeds. Leeds has left the devastation of the San Francisco quake of 06 to be with her father and start a new life with him in the Philippines.

Owen and Cooper butt heads over how best to train the Philippines. They are terrified of the Warlord and Cooper is trying to help them overcome their fears. Owen thinks they're all cowards and that Cooper is coddling them. When Cooper sneaks to the border of the Warlords camp, he uncovers the enemies' Achilles' heel and exploits it on a captured enemy to humiliate him in front of the Philippines who finally overcome their fears and see their enemies as regular men.

After repeated attempts to draw the US/Philippine troops into the jungle fail, the Warlord dams up a river, the Philippines only water supply. Then a horrible outbreak of cholera hits the camp and water becomes imperative for everyone's survival. This is one heck of a story!

Owen struggles with his oncoming blindness in the face of an impending attack while trying to convince his daughter to leave while she can. Cooper struggles with Owens stubbornness, cholera plague, assassination attempts, trying to help the Philippines become independent as well as coming to the realization that he's falling in love with Owens daughter.

I found this movie just riveting from beginning to end. The introduction of the principals is excellently done in a sort of "mission impossible" kind of way. The commander is given his orders and looks at the photographs attached to the dossiers of the men that are coming to help him (Owen, Niven, Crawford and Cooper). There are several shocking and bloody scenes of violence that I found pretty surprising considering this was a 1939 flick.

Where "Lancers" centers around the friendship of Tone, Cooper and the commanders son that they take under their wing, as well as the evil plot of Dumbrille as the villainous "Mohammad Khan", THE REAL GLORY is more centered on plot and Cooper. There are very few "bonding" scenes between Cooper, Niven and Crawford, but I didn't find that distracting (although it would have been to the movies advantage to have more bonding scenes as in "Lancers"). Cooper and Owens story is the real draw here, as is the multi layered and still incredibly relevant storyline.

However, like "Lancers", The Real Glory is smart and very fast paced. There isn't much in the way of great cinematography. It's not shabby or cheaply done by any means, just standard and well done and services the story and characters nicely. An appropriate score by Alfred Newman that is decent and unobtrusive but nothing to write home about. Still, this was a great action adventure film with just an excellent, suspenseful and engrossing story, made even more enjoyable when watched under the umbrella of current world events.

Unfortunately, it's fairly sparse in the way of extras. It's a fine looking transfer though, with good sound. I have to highly recommend this to action movie fans, Gary Cooper fans, and Gunga Din and Bengal Lancer fans.

The Real Glory provides the viewer with a snapshot of a period in time when men were men, political correctness didn't matter(Thank God for That), and evil was addressed ultimately and appropriately, with a firm, manly hand. It left me with a warm fuzzy feeling inside and with new hope that we Americans can look and act like a 1000 lb. gorilla again,and remember as President Theodore Roosevelt once said,"Speak Softly, and Carry a Big Stick".

Sincerely,
B.P. Binette

"Proud American"

In Henry Hathaway's post-Spanish-American war movie THE REAL GLORY, Gary Cooper heads an American contingent sent to Southeast Asia. Their mission: train a Philippino police force to combat local terrorists then randomly attacking and looting villages. As with GUNGA DIN (1939), Cooper, David Niven and Broderick Crawford are comrades-in-arms in a hostile land. Here however, the trio of military men ultimately don't fare as well.

"Resl Glory" is these days not only considered un-PC by some, it was frowned upon as far back as 1942, when the U.S. government requested the picture (reissued as "A Yank in the Philippines") be withdrawn from theaters. Specifically, the story's villains, Philippine Muslims condescendingly referred to as "Moros," were now our allies against Japanese invaders.

This film also perpetuates the myth of a helpless little brown brother and benevolent Uncle Sam as his rescuer (think: Vietnam, circa 1965). Truth is, America invaded these islands long before Japan, and we had more than a few enemies there, especially among native Muslims.


Related item:
Previously, Cooper and director Hathaway collaborated on the Afghan-set "Lives of a Bengal Lancer" (1935). This excellent adventure is available for a bargain price on THE GARY COOPER COLLECTION, along with "Beau Geste" (1939), "The General Died at Dawn" (1935), "Design For Living" (1933) and "Peter Ibbetson" (1935).


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.

(6.6) The Real Glory (1939) - Gary Cooper/David Niven/Andrea Leeds/Reginald Owen/Broderick Crawford/Kay Johnson/Russell Hicks/Vladimir Sokoloff/Benny Inocencio/Charles Waldron

Good movie with a good story. I am a big fan of Gary Cooper, and he is true to his abilities in this historic time of our country's military.

I have seen this movie several times in the past. I did not get too excited this time. Not a very good Cooper film.