The Duke of West Point

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.

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.

In the 1930's, a lot of movies were released about well-off scalawags with hearts of gold. The population, groaning under weight of the Depression, loved to see depictions of glamorous and wealthy people that showed they were `just like us.' Partly, these movies undermined the class resentment that might otherwise have grown during hard times, partly they held out the promise to everyman that one day he, too, could share in the good life.

By the time `The Duke of West Point' came along, however, this sort of thing was getting pretty old hat. What's interesting about it, however, is that it is the `Duke's' very otherness that makes him stand out as the star, not his common-placeness. The titular `Duke' is actually an American raised in England and schooled at Cambridge who goes to West Point out of family tradition. He speaks like an Englishman and has a variety of bizarre idiosyncrasies, but has an infuriating tendency to always get his own way, a characteristic that makes upperclassmen resent him. In spite of his relatively slight build, he also happens to be an outstanding athlete, apparently able to master any sport in seconds.

All this sets him up to be an insufferable snob, and he is, really. But he does have the ubiquitous heart of gold, and the audience largely sees him through the eyes of his everyman American roommates (played by Richard Carlson and Tom Browne), who he will go to any length to support, even at potential disgrace to himself. There is a curious ambiguity when he receives his comeuppance, at the hands of almost the entire school (apart from those loyal roommates): Yes, he deserves it, and he needs to be taught a lesson, but, no, he isn't such a bad guy as all that.

In the end, I found it hard to root for the Duke. He breaks rules for the fun of it, acts like he is doing the American military a favor by attending its finest institution and woos the one girl within miles of the campus. I also found it hard to watch all those endless sporting events - I have no real interest in ice hockey, football or `ruggers,' although I suppose in the days before television a sports fan would have been thrilled to see a sporting event shot so professionally. This film is an interesting relic of a bygone age, and little more.

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.

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.