LeonLouisRicci Hawksian Worshipers can Deflect Blame for this Really Bad Movie all They want, the Authorship must be Attributed to the Director without Apology. The "he can do no wrong" Hordes of Howard Hawks Admirers must, in this and other Films, Concede that the "Man" is Overrated.In this One He Borrows from Other Movies, even His own, for the War Footage and Delivers an Awkward (a Hawks trademark) Film Filled with Braggadocio He-Man Flourishes. You see it's Tough Stuff when Characters Speak in Clipped Sentences that are Supposed to be about Camaraderie and Familiarity but come off in the Hawksian World as Hardly having a Clue how "Real People" Bond and Interact.This is a Fun Watch. Seeing the Opening Strain Mightily to Bring the Viewer in to this Real World of WWI with Fashions so Art-Deco and Out of Place that it does Nothing but Scream Fake. Most of Hawk's Movies Scream Fake, even the Best of Them. After a Disastrous Start the Film becomes Watchable, if Unintentionally Humorous, as the Director Struggles for some "Reality" with a Love Triangle (some say a Quadrangle) with Pre-Code Situations and Macho Member Measuring. There is a Bizarre Subplot Starring a Cockroach Named Wellington and although He is Sacrificed for the Cause, One Cannot Deny, He was a "Stout Fellow".

jjnxn-1 Ponderous, miscast slog of a film. The performers try their best but only Cooper's character is believable. Crawford, Young and Tone are all supposed to be British born, none speak in anything but refined American accents. Their parts should have been played by Diana Wynyard, Ronald Coleman and Leslie Howard all truly English actors actively working in Hollywood at the time, the film would probably still have been a bore but at least it would have felt grounded in some kind of reality. MGM was trying to move Joan away from the shop girl roles that were her bread and butter at the time but this was an ill advised vehicle for her. Missing Hawks customary economy of timing and pace and a lacking any visual sense of time or place, Joan's clothes in particular are inappropriate and at times bizarre-one outfit looks like she has an ironing board attached to it!, you'd be better served to seek out other work by all involved.

nnnn45089191 This love story set during WW I, is a pretty boring affair despite of the casting of a young Gary Cooper and a Beautiful Joan Crawford.There seems to be no Chemistry between the two leads.Robert Young as the third part of the triangle is perhaps a bit old for his role,but pulls it off quite well.The only real chemistry with Crawford has the actor playing her brother,Franchot Tone, he gives perhaps the best performance in the movie together with Cooper's sidekick Roscoe Karns. Crawford and Tone fell in love during the shooting of this movie and it shows quite clearly in their scenes together.The aviation scenes are what really saves this movie.They're excellently made considering the vintage of this film.Too bad the rest of the story is so boring.

imdb-24 I enjoyed the story by itself, but the things that I learned about WWI Planes & boats, make this movie a must see. The close-ups on the plane & the torpedo boat & how they were used were completely new to me. I heartily recommend.