The Latin proverb “inter arma silent Musae”, which describes a lack of cultural achievements during wartime, could not be applied to Hollywood during the Second World War. Some of the most iconic films of the period were made while America was at war. Some even represented the most honest and, in the context of propaganda mandates and censorship constraints, the most daring treatment of the war itself, like Hail the Conquering Hero, a 1944 satirical comedy written and directed by Preston Sturges.
The protagonist, played by Eddie Bracken, is Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith, a young man who works at a San Diego shipyard. One night, while in a night club, he finds a group of US Marines, veterans of the Guadalcanal Campaign, led by Master Gunnery Sergeant Heffelfinger (played by William Demarest). Being short of cash, they are unable to buy drinks, so Woodrow decides to buy them one. This leads to a conversation during which he reveals that he comes from the small town of Oaksbridge, California and that his father was a US Marine, still celebrated as a local hero after being killed in the First World War. When the new war came, Woodrow followed family tradition and enlisted in the Marines, only to be discharged for medical reasons. Not having the heart to disappoint his mother (played by Georgia Cane), he didn’t tell her about it and hasn’t visited her. Taking pity on him, the Marines decide to help by lending him a uniform and pretending that they are his comrades.
When Woodrow returns to Oaksbridge, he finds, much to his horror, that the town considers him a hero just as his father was, and he even gets nominated for mayor. That doesn’t sit well with the current mayor, Everett E. Noble (played by Raymond Walburn), whose son Forrest (played by Bill Edwards) is engaged to Woodrow’s former girlfriend Libby (played by Ella Raines).
Sturges, in Hail the Conquering Hero, just as in his previous film The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, uses the context of the Second World War to take satirical aim at what were supposed to be sacred cows at the time – the US military, patriotism, and the values of small-town America. Comparisons between the two films show the latter to be much better. That could be partially explained by the basic premise being less outrageous, Sturges not resorting to comedy for comedy’s sake, the plot being more focused, and the final twist that resolves everything being consistent with the rest of the film.
Sturges does satirise patriotic hero worship, but also shows great sympathy for his characters that practice it – and that includes the very Middle America that other, more cynical and embittered film makers, especially in the post-war decades, would mercilessly mock. As such, Hail the Conquering Hero is very close to the classic populist comedies of Frank Capra and can be viewed as their perfect companion piece.
Even without its historical and social context, Hail the Conquering Hero is a very funny film. Sturges has a great ear for dialogue and establishes characters quickly and efficiently. There is little slapstick and similar distractions, and Sturges even gives a few hints of some dark subjects wartime Hollywood generally avoided, like in the brief scene that suggests that even the most heroic of all heroes have to deal with issues nowadays known as PTSD.
As with almost all of his films, Sturges relies on a capable cast, including many character actors like William Demarest, who became known as members of his “stock company”. Eddie Bracken is especially effective as a plain, ordinary but ultimately likeable protagonist with whose plight anyone would sympathise. The only segment of casting that might not be perfect is Ella Raines, and merely for looking too beautiful and too glamorous to be accepted as part of a small town. Sturges, on the other hand, directs the film very well and, among other things, uses music very effectively, utilising various sources like Handel’s 18th-century piece “Hail the Conquering Hero”, the popular WW1 song “Mademoiselle from Armentières”, or the US Marine anthem “From the Halls of Montezuma”.
Hail the Conquering Hero is often considered to be the last great film in Sturges’ filmography. It was made during an escalating conflict with Paramount Pictures executives that would lead to Sturges leaving the studio during production, only to very reluctantly return to reshoot the film when the studio’s version failed at test screenings. Hail the Conquering Hero fared well among critics and Sturges received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay, but his next films would fail to achieve the same impact.
That impact can be observed even among today’s viewers who, despite seemingly different attitudes towards war, patriotism and hero worship, might appreciate it as a very good piece of cinema.
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
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