I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Joan Crawford doesn't stop whining here until she finds out that Claude, her once lover, has been blinded in action in this World War 1 tear jerker.For some unexplained reason, Gary Cooper comes to England to take over the home from Crawford. On the day of his arrival, Crawford is notified that her father has been killed in battle.All characters here- Crawford, Robert Young and Franchot Tone are one-dimensional. They are often stilted and speak very briefly.We have flying and boat scenes where the cursed Germans come under attack.The Cooper character, now loved by Crawford,takes on full responsibility. When he volunteers for a suicide-like mission, Tone and the blind Young go instead. You know what the results are as Crawford and Cooper walk away at the end.

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".

Looks like MGM threw a lot of money and big stars at this and hoped for the best, thinking that the William Faulkner book would give it a prestige flavor. It's possible that with some major script revisions and a different cast it might have worked. But in it's current state it more resembles a train wreck that you just can't turn your head away from. With it's stars and it's director, expectations are high. Just does not deliver.My major problem with it is that 3 actors in the lead are supposed to be British. Looks like only a half-hearted effort was made by Crawford, Tone and Young to adopt an English accent. The result is some sort of hybrid that not only sounds unauthentic but succeeds in making their dialog almost impossible to understand. One curious thing is that through almost all of it's running time there is no background music. Then towards the end at an emotional high point the sound of a solo piano is heard. Being a high class production you would expect to hear the legendary MGM orchestra. The score for the solo piano is so wrong for this scene that it makes me wonder "what were they thinking?" Crawford does her best over-the-top emoting from start to finish trying desperately to breath some life into this, all for naught.Cooper gives his characteristic laconic reading. Just about right for this part. Tone is not given much chance to show what he can do here. He fools with his pipe a lot and sort of mumbles. (Pipes are a visual cue that shows the character to be British, right?)Young never was much of an actor and never seemed to rise above the level of acting here through the rest of his career. He is just plain wrong here. Maybe Howard Hawks knew early on that this one was going to be a railroad disaster and just sort of punched the clock to it's finish.Waste your time on this one if you insist but in my opinion it is NOT an undiscovered jewel.

Couldn't believe it! Clipped sentences? Good grief! Know what? All true! Real people ever talk like this? Don't think so. Good girl! Stout fellow! Stiffen upper lip! Only reason given movie 2 instead of 0 Gary Cooper such a dish. Movie as a whole ridiculous unless you like watching endless biplane dogfights. Seemed endless, anyway. Think all Franchot Tone's dialogue dubbed. When Crawford and Young make a special effort to sound British they come over as Irish. Handy tip - we Brits clip words, not sentences. And somehow we manage to draaaaaaaawl at the same time. But that's only if we've been to a really good public (that's private to you) school.