MovieChat Forums > Les croix de bois (1932) Discussion > Comparisons with 'Road to Glory' (US '36...

Comparisons with 'Road to Glory' (US '36)

posted 15 years ago by s-hill4
3 replies | jump to latest

I've always liked the US version directed by Howard Hawks in 1936, which is entertaining in a bittersweet way, rather than harrowing. But I have never seen Bernard's French original (1932). Hawks' version is strong on character depiction (even minor characters like Gregory Ratoff as Bouffioux), low-key humor, and an ending with matchless irony. Maybe Hawks at his best? Warner Baxter and especially Frederic March are good in their roles, and March's character really develops and changes greatly during the story. But if anyone out there has seen the '32 French original, maybe you could answer 3 questions: (1) Does the French original have a pretty young nurse (like June Lang) with whom the 2 male leads (Baxter, March) both fall in love? (2) Does the commander (like Baxter) have an elderly father (like Lionel Barrymore) who joins the ranks as a common soldier? (3) Is the same patriotic speech repeated 3 times, word for word, by different commanders, at 3 different points in the story? -- Prof Steven P Hill, Cinema Studies, University of Illinois "S (DASH) HILL4 (AT) ILLINOIS (DOT) EDU"

[–] dmattramsey 14 years ago

1. No, there are no women in the film (except in flashback and photographs).
2. No, there is no elderly father figure, and the film isn't centered around any commander figure. It's largely about the regular soldiers, with no concocted melodrama involving father issues or love triangles.
3. No, there is no patriotic speech made in the film, let alone one that is repeated.

Some points of comparison (besides the use of war footage) include the dying man on the wire (with very different conclusions to that element), the tunneling and placement of a mine, and the explosion which kills the soldiers who replace the ones we're following.

It's a remarkable film, particularly in terms of the camera work. It feels very modern. And bleak.

[–] [deleted] a year ago

thanks

[–] j-cf 10 years ago

Road to glory is not a remake of this film, but seems to borrow some shots (I'll check on this soon)

A lot of shots, and few events (the mine, the criyng solider, as saif above)

The church scene is from les Coix de bois too, only this time the blond lady takes the place of Blanchar. And the "shock" of discovering that the church is a hospital is lost, since we know it earlier in the film.

In short: they bought the rights of the novel, they bought the french film, used a few schemes, a lot of spectacular shots (explosions, marching troops) and a sequence in its almost entirety.

But the story has absolutely nothing in common with the french film. The hawks one is about officers, love story and honor. The french one about common soldiers and the waste of many lives.