Prudence avec les femmes

The film depicts the picaresque adventures of career Marines Sgts. Quirt and Flagg, played by Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe and directed by renowned helmsman Raoul Walsh. Because it is so episodic, it does tend to drag somewhat and, yes, Bogart's scenes were left on the cutting room floor. But, it offers Bela Lugosi an excellent supporting role as Prince Hassan in the last segment of the film, who catches Quirt and Flagg (as well as comedian El Brendel) invading Bela's harem to assignate with his #1 sweetie, played by the lovely Norwegian blonde actress Greta Nissen. Lugosi gets to ham it up in a comic vein, speaks some Hungarian and meows like a cat to try to catch the three rapscallions and in general livens up the proceedings. Not to mention that for those of us who are his devotees, he looks rather luscious in his Middle Eastern duds.

In 1931 when this movie was produced, many actors still stuck in the technics of the silent movies. In this film, text passages should help the viewers understand what's going on and give some idea about the story - which, by the way - is rather simple. Victor McLaglen was a great star in those days and played the main part with Edmound Lowe co-starring. Humphrey Bogart who played already with McLaglen in "A Devil with Women" was to appear in that movie.

Already in "A Devil with Women", Bogie thought that this movie could end his beginning film career because it was, Quote a financial and artistic failure with a stupid plot and mismatched actors Unquote (Darwin Porter in "Humphrey Bogart - The early years" 2003 The Georgia Literary Associaton). Bogie threatened to buy up all copies of this film and have them destroyed according to Darwin Porter.

This experience in 1930 may have been the reason why Bogie was cut out in this 1931 film and why he was frustrated not to be a co-star to McLaglen.

It is hard to understand in our days that a film like "Women of all Nations" could ever be released - the only reason was McLaglen who was a kind of hero in early "action" movies.

Bogie fans will be disappointed, as to my knowledge only bad copies of this film - without Humphrey Bogart - are existing.

Women Of All Nations is still another watered down version of the characters of Captain Flagg and Sergeant Quirt made popular in the Maxwell Anderson play What Price Glory. Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe after creating the original parts on film in What Price Glory went on to play these parts in a series of movies. The films concentrated on the rollicking hijinks of these two Marine lifers without the serious drama portion of What Price Glory.

This episodic film is watered down pretty good. McLaglen and Lowe spend the film chasing after Greta Nissen a Swedish floozie who's playing up to both of them. Young private El Brendel who came to the Marines by way of Sweden joins McLaglen and Lowe in their adventures both romantic and dangerous.

Humphrey Bogart is supposed to be in this film as one of the Marines under McLaglen and Lowe. The Citadel Film Series book on The Films Of Humphrey Bogart lists this replete with still of Bogey in dress blues with the stars. He might be in this print in passing, I missed him and supposedly in longer versions he's there.

One person also down the credits is Bela Lugosi as an Arab sheik who adds Niesen to his harem. All three McLaglen, Lowe and El Brendel try to cut in on Bela. Of course in the end duty calls and the Marines go another place where Uncle Sam has need of them.

Women Of All Nations is choppy and episodic and asks to much of its stars to carry it.

I like another reviewer i watched this for Bogart, sadly he was not even in it, why? well because he thought the film that bad it could ruin his film career and so threatened to buy all copies and have them burnt so they could not be seen. The scene with Bogart was pulled and the film released and it really is a very slow, plain print.

It is a very early film and only just on the cusp of talking movies from the silent era, you will see this as during the film we still get the writing boards explaining parts of the script and you get the feeling it is in fact a silent. I will say that if this were stripped of sound and a few more directive posters during the film it could work. Maybe watch it first with sound then without to see how it is then.

The film itself is short and about two chaps surviving the war and after some time in New York they travel to Sweden and other countries and seek affection of Elsa. its not so much slapstick but its comedic of sorts.

If your here to see Bogart hes not in it, if you want a busy film its not, if you want a film to while away the afternoon after a nice roast dinner and nap then stick this one on.

Edmund Lowe and Victor McLaglen are back again as Quirt and Flagg in this second sequel to WHAT PRICE GLORY? In sequences that alternate battlefields with wrangling over women, Lowe find themselves ordered to filibusters and diplomatic missions, to Nicaragua and Sweden - where they meet Princess Greta Nissan, and finally to an unnamed Mediterranean port, where they again meet the Swedish lovely.... and Bela Lugosi.

We're all used to Lugosi in his Dracula mode and after, playing variations on the Count, but here we meet him as an Oriental Potentate. Here's a chance to see him as an actor, offering an outrageous and funny performance.