Back in the early 1930s, this film probably played a lot better than it does now. Over 70 years later, the film just seems to creak with old age--with a very, very, very melodramatic and unconvincing plot. This sort of over-done "schmaltziness" was much more accepted in its day, but now it just seemed pretty hard to take. And this is a shame, really, as there are STILL some excellent elements in the film. Underneath it all, there is the germ of an interesting romance. Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes play a young couple united by the war who fall in love. As a "pre-Code" production, the plot was much more adult than you might have seen just a few years later, as Hayes' character becomes pregnant with Cooper's baby! He is shipped back to his unit and they lose contact with each other. As a result, both suffer immensely--though having Cooper eventually become a war deserter did make it hard to really care about him. Yes, it was a stupid war (WWI cost millions of lives for pretty much nothing), but Cooper just seemed like a guy with a lack of character--especially since, as an ambulance driver, his deserting may have cost lives. So, on one hand, I felt for the young couple, and on the other, I felt they were just,....stupid and selfish.
Apart from these problems, the film also suffers from SEVERE sound issues. I tried two different videotape versions and finally a DVD and ALL of them had horrible sound--so bad, that I almost gave up trying to watch it.
Apart from these problems, the film also suffers from SEVERE sound issues. I tried two different videotape versions and finally a DVD and ALL of them had horrible sound--so bad, that I almost gave up trying to watch it.