Although the film has a running time of two hours+ ,for it tells the story of a man's entire life ,from his enlistment (and even before) to his old age,there is never a dull moment .

John Ford was one of the most wonderful storytellers that ever was.The first part of the film is made of trivia,but everything is endearing ,moving .Take the dad's and the brother's arrival:no syrupy violins and choirs needed: the Irish are doing Mary's cooking justice and they are not in a hurry to hug Marty.The same goes for Marty/Mary when they fall in love:what could be more down to earth than this kitchen ?And however something vibrates ,as the love they all feel for the country they left behind.

The second part deals with wars and if the tone has changed ,the spirit remains intact:what could be more prosaic than burning Mary's toilet to celebrate the end of WW?Although the hero experiments tragedy ,Ford always avoids pathos and melodrama: the child's death during the celebration is given a sober treatment.Mary's passing is perhaps the most beautiful scene in the whole movie,being Fordesque to the core (remember the death of the mother in "three godfathers") and her fleeting reappearance at the very end of the movie is not irrelevant.

A life is made of small joys and big griefs.

One of the best pictures ever starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara.

Marty Maher comes to West Point and the years just pile on. We see Marty learn the ropes and become a leader among men.

He marries his Mary O'Donnell who acts mute at first. O'Hara is just a joy to watch on the screen.

Their life at the Point is difficult but ever so fulfilling. There is sadness when their child dies at birth and when war comes, Marty's best friend is killed, leaving a widow (Betsy Palmer) and young son. Of course, the son will go to the Point.

Tyrone Power is just fabulous here with a superb Irish accent and emotional appeal as Marty. O'Hara, in an excellent performance, succumbs years later to heart disease, leaving her beloved Marty all

alone.

The supporting cast is fine. Veteran Oscar winner Donald Crisp is wonderful as the father and Palmer is memorable in the scene where her son says to her: "It has been a wonderful day for Marty." Her reply, "It has been a wonderful life for Marty!" How poignant.

A great movie pulling out all the stops. Well worth the handkerchiefs that the viewer will need. Rest in peace Betsy Palmer: Yours was a wonderful career.

The film is supposed to be a real-life account of a soldier who was on staff at Westpoint for about 50 years--so long that he became a bit of an institution through the first part of the 20th century.

The first 20 minutes or so of the movie didn't particularly impress me. Unlike the rest of the film, this was all played for laughs and Tyrone Power played this portion very broadly. Some might like this, but I thought the "dumb newbie" routine wore thin very, very quickly. We get to see Tyrone drop some plates, get in a fight by mistake and be one of the biggest screw ups in army history. Frankly, he was so obnoxious and stupid that I really wondered if this even remotely had any similarity to anyone--let alone the real character. In many ways, these aspects of the film reminded me of the "funny" moments from WINGS OF EAGLES and PATHS OF GLORY. Many like this stuff, but I think the different moods of the film don't work out all that well--as if the movie can't decide whether it's a drama or a comedy (would this make it a "dramady"?).

Fortunately, after a very inauspicious start, the film slowed down and dropped the pratfalls and became an excellent film--full of the usual John Ford sentiment and style. I was surprised that Tyrone Power did such a good job with the role--and his Irish accent was also pretty good. He was ably assisted by some of the usual Ford actors--Ward Bond, Donald Crisp and Maureen O'Hara. The overall effect is very inspiring and will nearly bring a tear to your eye--it was exceptional film making after a somewhat rocky start.