The Long Gray Line (1955)

Touches You

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

i had never seen this film before. and I'm a die hard Tyrone power fan even though some say he was just a pretty face. well this pretty face could act and renders all emotions perfectly. had he lived longer he would have been one of the greatest actors who ever lived.....same par as Lawrence Olivier or Orson Welles. to think this role of Marty nearly went to John W Wayne...i would not have watched it. Maureen O'Hara is true to herself classy and a good actress. the story is heart wrenching although it makes us feel good all over. wonder who won the academy award that year for best actor.....well frankly my dear i don't give a dam. one last thing is it just me or a bit of the theme song sounded like LOVE ME TENDER.

Just watched this movie (again) last night and still love it after more than 50 years! Having read all 27 comments posted here up to this point, there's little to add, but this might be of some interest to Patrick Wayne fans. I thought Wayne looked a bit young to be a West Point cadet, so checked his biography on this site, which said he was born in 1939. That makes him only 15 during the making of this film (assuming it was made in 1954, as it was released in 1955.) Nevertheless, he pulled the part off well, as lots of college-age students look younger than they are.I noted in other comments that Ford had initially wanted John Wayne for the part of Marty, which I can't imagine. Tyrone Power was perfect for the role.

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.

I was 11 years old when my father took what was then our complete family to downtown Detroit to see this movie. It became a family favorite, and after VCRs came out, I was able to give my brothers and sisters the ultimate Christmas gift...their very own copy of "The Long Gray Line."The acting in the movie was superb. Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara became their characters. We laughed, cried, and talked about it and could always see new aspects to it.It will always remain my favorite movie ever, and one that brings back family memories to me. In fact, I think I will go watch it now. It's refreshing to see a time when being a United States citizen would mean so much. And "The Star Spangled Banner" brought tears to your eyes, and the American Flag was treated with reverence and respect. God Bless America! Marilone