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The Real Glory

Play trailer Poster for The Real Glory Released Sep 15, 1939 1h 35m War Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
In 1906, Col. Hatch (Roy Gordon) is stationed in the Philippines and ordered to withdraw his forces from the island of Mindanao. Worried that an insurgent army headed by the ruthless Alipang (Tetsu Komai) will slaughter Filipinos and seize power, Hatch recruits a group of tested military officers -- including Bill Canavan (Gary Cooper), a military doctor, and McCool (David Niven) and Larson (Broderick Crawford), two rambunctious Lieutenants -- to train the locals.
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The Real Glory

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Variety Staff Variety As a vehicle for Cooper, Real Glory offers him a chance to perform some unusual feats of gallantry, over a wide terrain. Jul 23, 2008 Full Review Frank S. Nugent New York Times If it's an adventure film you want, uncomplicated by small talk and unconditionally guaranteed to build up your blood pressure, the [The Real Glory is] the place to find it. May 6, 2008 Full Review Pare Lorentz McCall's Pleasant people, in a simple, well-made, tight melodrama, but it failed to stir me simply because I could not divorce this story of a minor island war of ours from the recollection of the newsreel I had seen just before The Real Glory began. Dec 27, 2023 Full Review Graham Greene The Spectator Cooper as the military doctor, who arrives with a present of orchids and a colonel's gallstone for his friends, has never acted better. May 15, 2018 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Gary Cooper is always at his best playing American heroes. Rated: B- Sep 3, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (7) audience reviews
Haunted by H THE REAL GLORY is one of Gary Cooper's better action-adventure movies. Although set on a Philippine Island, its plot construction resembles a Western with its storyline centering around a quiet, peaceful village terrorized by a band of guerilla fighters. Gary Cooper, David Niven, and Broderick Crawford are the few American military personnel sent to protect the village. Thanks to its island jungle location, THE REAL GLORY has an Indiana Jones look and feel to it, thanks to Cooper's All-American bravado, his academic knowledge, his skepticism of hoodoo, and his ability to escape danger at the last minute. THE REAL GLORY also has moments of violence and exotic gruesomeness, although its gruesomeness is honed in by the Hayes Production Code. Although David Niven and Broderick Crawford have supporting roles, this isn't a buddy film like GUNGA DIN or BEAU GESTE. This is a Gary Cooper movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/06/24 Full Review Steve D The story is fine but Leeds is wasted. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/11/24 Full Review paul d Gary Cooper is very, very good playing a kind, intellectual adventure hero, a variation of the character he incarnated in his greatest roles. He's got a little bit of Frank Capra's social conscientiousness and a little bit of the bravura of Indiana Jones. The movie depicts a distant Philippine outpost of the US Army in 1906 whose job it is to prepare the local militia, in this majority Catholic country, from attacks by the minority Muslim Moros. Religious zealotry, traditions and superstitions play important roles in the plot. There is lots of derring-do and other movie clichés befitting a traditional colonial adventure and military film of the 1930s, and those are a bit hard to take in 2021, but at least it has good and believable production values befitting such films. Broderick Crawford and David Niven bring life to the screen. One curiosity for movie historians: why does this American film about the US Army have so many British actors ? Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Military period piece, which pretty much follows a 'western' narrative in its Philippine setting. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Not in the same league as 'Beau Geste' or 'Gunga Din' (films which this somewhat resembles) but it's got great atmosphere and Gary Cooper is mesmerising. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Exciting and powerful adventure film from Samuel Goldwyn. Gary Cooper is perfectly cast, with David Niven in a good supporting role. The film raises many interesting questions about occupying a foreign territory and dealing with consequences of terrorism as a result. But overall, it's not too heavy a film, and is memorable for it's action sequences such as the rafting scene. Hathaway delivers another exciting adventure yarn in the tradition of his 1935 "Lives of a Bengal Lancer". Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1906, Col. Hatch (Roy Gordon) is stationed in the Philippines and ordered to withdraw his forces from the island of Mindanao. Worried that an insurgent army headed by the ruthless Alipang (Tetsu Komai) will slaughter Filipinos and seize power, Hatch recruits a group of tested military officers -- including Bill Canavan (Gary Cooper), a military doctor, and McCool (David Niven) and Larson (Broderick Crawford), two rambunctious Lieutenants -- to train the locals.
Director
Henry Hathaway
Producer
Samuel Goldwyn, Robert Riskin
Screenwriter
Charles L. Clifford, Robert Presnell Sr., Jo Swerling
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
United Artists, Samuel Goldwyn Company
Genre
War
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 15, 1939, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 27, 2020
Runtime
1h 35m
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