Women of All Nations

Edmund Lowe and Victor McLaglen are back again as Quirt and Flagg in this second sequel to WHAT PRICE GLORY? In sequences that alternate battlefields with wrangling over women, Lowe find themselves ordered to filibusters and diplomatic missions, to Nicaragua and Sweden - where they meet Princess Greta Nissan, and finally to an unnamed Mediterranean port, where they again meet the Swedish lovely.... and Bela Lugosi.

We're all used to Lugosi in his Dracula mode and after, playing variations on the Count, but here we meet him as an Oriental Potentate. Here's a chance to see him as an actor, offering an outrageous and funny performance.

The film depicts the picaresque adventures of career Marines Sgts. Quirt and Flagg, played by Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe and directed by renowned helmsman Raoul Walsh. Because it is so episodic, it does tend to drag somewhat and, yes, Bogart's scenes were left on the cutting room floor. But, it offers Bela Lugosi an excellent supporting role as Prince Hassan in the last segment of the film, who catches Quirt and Flagg (as well as comedian El Brendel) invading Bela's harem to assignate with his #1 sweetie, played by the lovely Norwegian blonde actress Greta Nissen. Lugosi gets to ham it up in a comic vein, speaks some Hungarian and meows like a cat to try to catch the three rapscallions and in general livens up the proceedings. Not to mention that for those of us who are his devotees, he looks rather luscious in his Middle Eastern duds.

In 1931 when this movie was produced, many actors still stuck in the technics of the silent movies. In this film, text passages should help the viewers understand what's going on and give some idea about the story - which, by the way - is rather simple. Victor McLaglen was a great star in those days and played the main part with Edmound Lowe co-starring. Humphrey Bogart who played already with McLaglen in "A Devil with Women" was to appear in that movie.

Already in "A Devil with Women", Bogie thought that this movie could end his beginning film career because it was, Quote a financial and artistic failure with a stupid plot and mismatched actors Unquote (Darwin Porter in "Humphrey Bogart - The early years" 2003 The Georgia Literary Associaton). Bogie threatened to buy up all copies of this film and have them destroyed according to Darwin Porter.

This experience in 1930 may have been the reason why Bogie was cut out in this 1931 film and why he was frustrated not to be a co-star to McLaglen.

It is hard to understand in our days that a film like "Women of all Nations" could ever be released - the only reason was McLaglen who was a kind of hero in early "action" movies.

Bogie fans will be disappointed, as to my knowledge only bad copies of this film - without Humphrey Bogart - are existing.

...that's the third in a series from Fox and director Raoul Walsh.

Edmund Lowe and Victor McLaglen return as Sgt. Quirt and Capt. Flagg, respectively, two US Marine brothers-in-arms who are rivals in everything else. The episodic plot sees them shipped around the world, from a stateside furlough to a stint in Sweden where they battle over local girl Elsa (Greta Nissen), to disaster aid in Nicaragua, and finally to Egypt, where they find Elsa in the harem of local Prince Hassan (Bela Lugosi).

This series started with the silent What Price Glory in 1926, followed by The Cock-Eyed World (1929). There would be one more entry after this one, 1933's Hot Pepper. Director Walsh himself called this a "turkey", and that's a fitting description. The script is threadbare, the situations unfunny and uninspired. What entertainment exists is due to the performers, who generally try their best, although Brendel's shtick gets old quick. I watched this for Lugosi; he doesn't appear until the final 20 minutes. One noteworthy aspect of this film was that there was another co-star, Humphrey Bogart, but his entire role was left on the cutting room floor. Lucky him.

This is one truly lame, incredibly awful film, vapid and empty, with terrible characters, none of whom add anything at all to the ridiculous, nonsensical story! The only reason I watched this film was to see Marjorie White. She's only in one or two scenes near the beginning, then gone, her character is completely undefined,, she's just an extra. But Bela Lugosi meowing like a cat, and El Brendel picking his nose, come on now! And those two entirely talentless Vaudevillians Maglaglen & Lowe, either of them is forgettable on his own, but the two of them teamed together make Wheeler & Woolsey look like the Barrymores! Just Plain bad!! I'm really surprised to see something this poor come from from famed director Raoul Walsh, it's more suited to Ed Wood or John Waters!! (Obviously not one of his best efforts!!) Z-grade shlock on the minus scale of rating, what waste of good celluloid!! It's rumored that Humphrey Bogart was in it, but his scenes cut out at his own expense, he realized it ws so bad he wanted nothing to do with it, so as not to ruin his career! A one-word review: NO!