If this film had stuck to its one major plot device (romantic tribulations during the time of Workd War I), it might have been a nice A picture without pretentions or the unnecessary prelude set in 1825 in New Orleans. The goings on of that five minutes of exposition is really only dealt briefly in this John Ford saga which easily could have been cut down to 90 minutes.
The bland Franchot Tone was fine as a second lead but to be the focus completely in a film (going from the 1825 sequences up to the early 1920's makes it difficult to be truly interested. His leading lady in both 1825 and after is the beautiful Madeline Carroll, a regal block of ice. Two stereotypical performances add either unintentional comedy (Sig Ruman as a heavily accented German accent that overaccentuates the rolled r's and other letters) or bad taste disguised as comedy (Stepin Fetchit in an unnecessary role) and damper the film's impact.
Listen for a beautifully sung version of "Ave Maria" where the man singing could easily be referred to as the Mario Lanza of his time. the war sequences are well photographed and the film has a very opulent look about it, but ultimately it is missing the one element in a saga that makes it unforgettable: characters that you care about.
The bland Franchot Tone was fine as a second lead but to be the focus completely in a film (going from the 1825 sequences up to the early 1920's makes it difficult to be truly interested. His leading lady in both 1825 and after is the beautiful Madeline Carroll, a regal block of ice. Two stereotypical performances add either unintentional comedy (Sig Ruman as a heavily accented German accent that overaccentuates the rolled r's and other letters) or bad taste disguised as comedy (Stepin Fetchit in an unnecessary role) and damper the film's impact.
Listen for a beautifully sung version of "Ave Maria" where the man singing could easily be referred to as the Mario Lanza of his time. the war sequences are well photographed and the film has a very opulent look about it, but ultimately it is missing the one element in a saga that makes it unforgettable: characters that you care about.