What a line to start a historical American drama! Of course, much of it has been dramatized as only Hollywood could do, but it's filled with early American heroes like Henry Clay and William Henry Harrison, and my favorite Irish heroine, Maureen O'Hara. Her role is a bit more substantial than other women were in these type of films, but my one big regret about this film is that it wasn't in Technicolor because any film with Maureen O'Hara cries for that!
This is a drama about the early days of West Point, run by men who don't really believe in the goals of that famous military college. But the cadets for the most part do, and it takes young blood to pump the heart of progress. George Montgomery, in a role obviously intended for Tyrone Power, plays a poor but ambitious tcadet who does believe in the university's mission, finding an instant rival in stuffy John Shelton, Maureen's fiancee, and it's obvious that she's attracted to him because of his spirit.
It takes more than "good breeding", book smarts and strategic intelligence to make it as a West Point cadet, and Montgomery has it all in spades, bringing out the best even in rival Shelton. But will that be enough to keep him there? A great lineup of 20th Century Fox supporting players helps make this an above average patriotic flag waver, very important for cinema goers in 1942, and an interesting salute to American heroes (both Yankee and Confederate, past and present) makes this an enjoyable if predictable piece of celluloid.
This is a drama about the early days of West Point, run by men who don't really believe in the goals of that famous military college. But the cadets for the most part do, and it takes young blood to pump the heart of progress. George Montgomery, in a role obviously intended for Tyrone Power, plays a poor but ambitious tcadet who does believe in the university's mission, finding an instant rival in stuffy John Shelton, Maureen's fiancee, and it's obvious that she's attracted to him because of his spirit.
It takes more than "good breeding", book smarts and strategic intelligence to make it as a West Point cadet, and Montgomery has it all in spades, bringing out the best even in rival Shelton. But will that be enough to keep him there? A great lineup of 20th Century Fox supporting players helps make this an above average patriotic flag waver, very important for cinema goers in 1942, and an interesting salute to American heroes (both Yankee and Confederate, past and present) makes this an enjoyable if predictable piece of celluloid.