Hail the Conquering Hero

The writing, the comic timing and all the looks the characters give each other is all so incredible that I just keep laughing. It's not just silly fun either, there's some interesting commentary on social dynamics. This one, a bit lighter on the romance and heavier on personal responsibility than other Sturges films, is a very good exploration of heroism and hero worship, and some nice jabs at politics too. Great stuff and a trademark Sturges ending.

Implications are gutsy: that the heroes we worship are just people, and more so that sometimes this idolatry is misplaced, and still that it may be facilitated by social, military, and political fraternity. It doesn't manage to be completely subversive, containing plenty of American apple pie sentimentality and reverence for the war effort, but it's all rather entertaining. Composed largely of long takes, allowing the actors to run off at the mouth uninterrupted, with a few really superb scenes.

After a run of Sturges comedies with weak leads and a fair share of broad comedy, I come across this gem. Eddie Bracken is a delight. Very much in line with the films of patriotic early 40's Americana, but smartly so, and only wears out its welcome near the final moments.

Viewed May 23, 2021.

One of the great screen comedies. This WW II movie has perhaps the most unabashedly patriotic ending ever filmed, yet it still seems right even in this cynical age. Bracken is funny and moving, and William Demarest gives an unusually restrained performance. And don't forget boxer Freddie Steele as Bugsy, the slightly addled orphan-Marine with the mother-fixation. (I love it when the astonished Woodrow barks at Bugsy "Are you nuts?" and Bugsy pauses for a moment and answers, "Maybe.")

It's sharp and satirical and funny and whatever word is normally used to describe a Preston Sturges movie but it's mostly overbearing

another proto-simpsons episode by sturges, by way of capra and ford. a wall-to-wall scathing and uproarious takedown of american patriotism and its fetishisation of its military, with undercurrents of despair. can't imagine how it would've landed in the midst of the war.

86.50

A very funny and energetic comedy, but Sturges is also able to find a balance between hokey (yet genuine, I feel) patriotism and satire of blind small-town hero worship. Eddie Bracken is an awesome lead as well, mixing a boy-next-door authenticity with high-energy comic outbursts that would make Jimmy Stewart proud. Also impressive is a massive supporting cast with a lot of great characters. Reminded me a lot of Capra.

Enjoyable screwball comedy that ups the patriotic fervor in place of the usual romance story. It's a little talky in parts and Bracken is a little too screechy for my tastes, but the comic timing and hell-in-a-handbasket events are very good, as are the short but memorable performances of the supporting cast.

It's one of Sturges' less funny comedies, but the talky script is good nevertheless.

Gets too frivolous on the final third, but overall the comedy is contained enough. Demarest makes the film worthwhile, while Bracken almost makes it painful to watch.

Nothing else by Sturges can compare to the subtlety of The Lady Eve's humor and the depth of its drama. Hail the Conquering Hero has a little bit of each, though, and that's something. It's not a realistic enough depiction of politics to work as a satire, but it is cute and kind of touching without getting too sentimental. Eddie Bracken is kind of a goofier version of Jimmy Stewart here.

Loved this, particularly as it moves from its screwball opening to a more heartfelt reflection on true nobility in its second and third acts. Sturges finds some of the most touching moments in his filmography here, particularly as Woodrow interacts with the two women in his life. The shots of Woodrow's mother quietly crying during his key speech are so expressive and help communicate the human cost that so often accompanies doing the right thing.

Lovely comedy about a small town clinging on to anything positive to come out of the war from their perspective when a alleged decorated local soldier returns home. Eddie Bracken showing what he's worth as a comic actor, being trapped in a scheming situation unable to get out. For a scam this was a uplifting experience, and very Preston Sturges. You know what he liked to do for his social comedies, and that wit shines through real strong in Hail the Conquering Hero (1944).