Hail The Conquering Hero (Sturges #5 of 5)

Genre: Satirical Comedy / Drama / Decreasingly less screwball / Patriotic

Premise: Discharged from the Marines for hayfever, Woodrow Lafayette pershing Truesmith prevents returning from his hometown because he feels himself a failure. He does, however, befriend a group of Marcines who encourage him to go back home by fabricating a story about how he was wounded in battle with honorable discharged. Woodrow is honored by a statue, songs about his heroism, and even ends up running for mayor. But when Woodrow decides to tell the truth, nobody will listen.

About: Originally called "The Little Marine". (There were actually only two drafts of the script, The Little Marine and the shooting script). The film became more dramatic as time continued.Hail the Conquering Hero had a number of working titles on its way to the screen. An early title was "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition", and "Once Upon a Hero" and "The Little Marine" were also used. It was the last picture Sturges made at Pramount. A draft was also made at the suggestion of the War Department, but the changes were very minor. The film was later referenced in Aladdin and essentially redone with Jim Carrey in The Majestic. Also, I think there's a Simpsons episode about Principal Skinner with close parallels.

Writer: Preston Sturges

Hail the Conquering Hero represents the gradual decline of Sturges's career. The script starts out very slow with Woodrow sitting at a bar listening to a weepy ballad. Soon after, one of Woodrow's friends is arranging a "homecoming" to Woodrow's "mother". (I place parantheticals around both of these words because they're part of Woodrow's scam. Also here's Sturges again, this time satirizing the accomplishments of the war hero.) After this point, the film gains pinball speed and never slows down except for random patriotic passages --- shots of a flag, or tales of fallen marainges. (And as satirical as Sturges is, it's very hard to believe these segments are meant to be taken in earnest). The film is tightly Aristotelean, by which I mean it takes place over the course of 24 hours in one location. (Applying to Aristotle's rules of dramatic structure). This makes for a supercharged tale, and helps create a claustrophic effect to intensify the inner turmoil Woodrow feels. The dialogue is as sharp and bouncy as ever.

But, there's not really the humor or the zaniness of earlier Sturges films. And because the device of someone posing as someone else has been so overused in films that came after, the film doesn't sparkle with originality or that patented Sturges zaniness. But, all these things considered, Hail The Conquering Hero uses the Sturges structure to such great effect (an opening scene in a crowded place, a plan to disguise or mask one's appearance, an increase in intensity as the character operating the plan gets further and further into their costume, eventually the caracter is too far in, the situation resolves itself through a series of good graces). Furthermore, Sturges is always satirical towards celebrated or cherished professions. Needless to say, as Sturges kept writing, he eventually exhausted this form. Fortunately, I didn't have to review any of his lesser films but perhaps at some point down the road I will chart his downward progression.

Scooby Doo (Complete Crap)
Atilla (Poor, Few Redeeming Qualities)
[X] Wedding Crashers (Mediocre)
Hot Rod (Good)
Definitely Maybe (Pretty Darn Good)

Isla Roles: No really terrific female roles here.

Tip: The montage. I don't know if I've ever read a great script without at least one montage in it. Rather than montage is used to denote a progression of time, increase in intensity, or to give the feeling of an all immersive world, they're really great tools that don't quite have a direct parallel in any of the other narrative based mediums.