The mix of biography, comedy and drama interested me. There are many films where comedy and drama balance well together, but when biography is included in the mix too it is dependent on who is being depicted. Have said more than once about liking John Ford a lot, especially for 'The Quiet Man' and a lot of his Westerns. Tyrone Power is not one of my favourite actors, but he did show more than once that he could give good performances and the supporting cast that includes Maureen O'Hara and Donald Crisp promises a lot.
From personal view though, 'The Long Gray Line' was another case of promising more than delivering. Not in a very bad way, as it's not bad at all and has a fair share of good things. 'The Long Gray Line' more an uneven film, with it getting better as it went on after a deceptively not so good start. Well made and acted in particular but the script and story could have done with more work and been more consistent, it's not a misfire for Ford but it's not one of his must sees. Nor is it quite one of his worst, 'Tobacco Road' for example was worse and 'The Long Gray Line' felt more like it was directed by Ford.
A lot of great things can be seen here. The best asset to me was the acting. Power is excellent, while knowing that he could do comedy and quite well (and he shows that here) he really stretches his dramatic acting chops here as well and in an authoritative and moving way. O'Hara is alluring and looks as if she was having fun in her role, being at ease with her role. Crisp is in the type of role he played well and plays the role with ease. Ford's direction is much better here than in 'Tobacco Road', it's still not inspired as such but there is more of his recognisable style here and he seemed more involved and opened up. The film looks great, especially the photography which is at its best gorgeous. The costumes are handsome enough and the settings don't look phony. The music has jauntiness and elegance.
Moreover, Ford directs with an expert hand. He doesn't seem uncomfortable with the material, nor is he uninterested in it, even if it is not some of his most inspired. The script does have intelligent moments, when the film gets going a good deal of it is quite touching and even though there is a strong sentiment it is not too over-powering. And the characters at least feel like real people.
However, 'The Long Gray Line' doesn't start off all that promisingly. There is more of a comedic tone and the comedy is not particularly funny and can feel a bit corny and try hard. Some of the dialogue early on is banal and doesn't always flow.
Story-wise, it is a case of starting off dully and in a forced way but gets better if stuck with. It would have been even better if the storytelling wasn't as conventional and took more risks.
Concluding, worth seeing but not an essential. 7/10
