The Duke of West Point

Approximately 10-15 min into this movie, technical issues such as lighting & other (minor) aspects problematic to most films leading up to the late 30's, prompted an urge to search elsewhere, for yet another 'oldie but a goodie'...., succumbed to these little gold nuggets of compelling brilliance, followed by a well-structured & fascinating, human-interest story.

Personally, it was one of (if not) the, best directorial {and acting} presentations, for having communicated, the often misunderstood notion, of accurately defining what is, authentic character. Love finding hidden treasures like this film that are decades old, but still have a relevant connection almost 80 years later.

Annoying semi-Brit does everything wrong upon entering West Point, the cliched arrogant, egotistic smart aleck. But it's Hollywood, so of course things are gonna change. How they change is the point and George Bruce, who created the story and wrote the screenplay, has indeed created something, a different take on that cliched beginning.

This movie is rather early in the careers of some very fine actors, including star Louis Hayward, lovely Joan Fontaine, brash and youthful Tom Brown, and one of my favorites, Richard Carlson.

As his bio here at IMDb attests, Carlson started out strong and his performance here is just excellent. He is intriguing to watch with his little byplay when others are the actual center of attention. But years later, he is often stiff or just too mild, almost non-participating in too many roles. Apparently his war years in the military were damaging.

Director Alfred E. Green and cinematographer Robert H. Planck make the most of the athletic events, especially the ice hockey scenes. Even though a few shots seem to be process, they are brief and excitingly cut, and when the sprays of ice splatter into the camera, we are made to feel right there on the frozen surface with the players.

This movie is good enough by and for itself. Some of the alleged rules at West Point were either wrongly portrayed or have changed, but we can accept poetic license and enjoy what is on screen, and even view it as history.compared to today.

I do recommend "The Duke of West Point," and there is a fair print at YouTube.

Following in the footsteps of 'Brown of Harvard' this supremely nondescript buddy movie detailing the activities of a group of young jocks on the football field at West Point has one sole reason to merit your attention in the form of young actress standing on the sidelines by the name of Joan Fontaine, relatively new to pictures and thus cast dramatically against what was soon to become type.

At the time treading water when she was loaned by RKO to United Artists to make this movie she gives a performance the likes of which she would never gave again as a graceful and patrician young lady dressed to the nines in a fashion recalling the young Myrna Loy.

Apparently all it takes to not fit in at West Point is to be an American who was reared among English aristocracy and to have an attitude problem that puts others off--a certain vanity, cockiness and arrogance that your West Point roommates just won't tolerate.

What stretches credibility is that any cadet would be foolish enough to do the sort of things LOUIS HAYWARD does without expecting to win the animosity of the entire academy. Then again, for the entire academy to turn its back on him for some petty infractions, seems stretching things a bit for the sake of a plot device.

His American friends are played by TOM BROWN and RICHARD CARLSON and there's a great deal of game-playing that is shown at an almost tiresome rate when Hayward isn't finding romance in the person of JOAN FONTAINE. Poor Joan gets lost amidst all the rugby playing and drills and plays most of her role on the sidelines looking on rather wistfully. When ingenue roles came her way in the early '30s, they had a habit of making small use of her talent.

This one is pretty much a loser. Surprisingly, it opened at New York's famed Radio City Music Hall at a time when only prestigious films played the world's largest theater. Nevertheless, it remains pretty much a forgotten item these days.

Louis Hayward is the fifth generation of his family to attend Wet Point, but with his British accent -- explained by eight years in English Public Schools -- athletic achievements, and cocky attitude, upperclassmen like Alan Curtis look to clip his wings, without success. Nonetheless, his room mates, Tom Brown and Richard Carlson, like him, and he tears up the football gridiron because of his skill at rugby. But when Carlson's mother falls sick, and Carlson feels he must resign, Hayward telegraphs her the money with orders not to tell Carlson, lest he resign anyway.... and he's caught out while doing so. He refuses to resign, so the cadets subject him to the Silence; no one will speak to him. Only his room mates are exempt.

Alfred Green does his typically good job directing this movie, which never talks about service or patriotism, just loyalty to the Army. Still, despite its length, it's good to watch, and the way editor Grant Whytock manages to make Hayward a great football and ice hockey player is fascinating for those on the look for it. With Joan Fontaine, Don Barry, Charles D. Brown, Jed Prouty, and Jonathan Hale.