dual personalities

Last night I was in the mood to watch an old movie and was lucky enough to find a good one that I hadn’t seen before, The Real Glory (1939) directed by Henry Hathaway of True Grit and The Sons of Katie Elder fame and starring Gary Cooper, David Niven, Broderick Crawford, Reginald Owens and Andrea Leeds. Set in 1906 during the Moro Rebellion in the Philippines, three American soldiers (one a doctor) at a remote outpost try to train the local Philippine Christians to fight off the marauding Moro tribesmen who are Muslims. It’s quite an adventure.

The plot shares standard elements with films such as Gunga Din and various later westerns: the trio of friends stationed in a remote location; a local sidekick; competition over the love interest; scary enemies, and plenty of opportunities for bravery. In this photo we have the calm before the storm: Broderick Crawford, who plays the sweet but distracted dreamer of the trio, shows his buddies his prized orchids, while they exchange witty banter about a bud.

Somehow the film manages to combine the set pieces into something original and much more complex that this post suggests. At the obligatory party, for example, the boys vie for the attention of an officer’s newly arrived daughter,

but the fun ends when one of the sneaky Moro assassins machetes the commander to death in front of his horrified wife – a disturbing but skillfully handled scene.

The Real Glory is not afraid to be edgy. When members of the local militia fall sick from fear of the Moros, Gary Cooper heads into the jungle, captures one of the rebels, and threatens to sew the Muslim’s body into a pig skin so he cannot go to paradise.

The ruse works without use of the pigskin or any violence. The terrified Moro reveals that he is all too human, and the militiamen recover their will to fight.

Eventually, the Moro rebels dam up the river leading into the town, leaving the people to rely on one measly well. Soon cholera breaks out, and Doctor Gary Cooper is nearly overwhelmed with sick and dying people. David Niven comes down with the disease, but his friend’s capable treatment is able to save him.

In desperate need of fresh water, Gary leads an expedition to blow up the damn and save the people, but while he’s away the Moro attack. A great battle ensues – will the dam-blowing crew return in time to save everyone? I’ll let you find out the answer. The Real Glory is available to watch at Amazon or you can pay to watch it on YouTube.

Wikipedia dismisses the movie as propaganda, but I don’t think that is a fair assessment. The action took place in 1906 and the movie came out in 1939, just after the Nazis invaded Poland. What is wrong with depicting men and women as brave and upstanding? We could use such role models now. In the Real Glory all the main characters behave admirably: the female lead is plucky and competent and never complains; the heroes are brave; the Padre is wise and supportive, and the Filipino militia stands its ground. Calling such a film propaganda suggests that people did not have those qualities. History has proved otherwise.