Hail to the victorious hero

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Movie
German title Hail to the victorious hero
Original title Hail the Conquering Hero
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1944
length 101 minutes
Rod
Director Preston Sturges
script Preston Sturges
production Preston Sturges
music Werner R. Heymann
camera John F. Seitz
cut Stuart Gilmore
occupation

Heil dem victorious hero (original title: Hail the Conquering Hero ) is an American comedy film directed by Preston Sturges from 1944. The German premiere was on November 28, 1970 on television in the original version with German subtitles.

action

Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Wilson lives in a small town. His father was a hero in the First World War . The Marine Corps has turned Woodrow down because of his hay fever. In order not to disappoint his mother, he pretends to be shipped overseas to fight in World War II . He secretly goes to San Diego to work in a shipyard there.

In a bar he meets a couple of Marines and their superior, Master Gunnery Sergeant Heppelfinger, who have returned from the Battle of Guadalcanal . After a few drinks, the soldiers decide to take the young man home so that his mother doesn't have to worry. To Woodrow's amazement, they give him their medals and awards. Unfortunately, Woodrow's return becomes known in town. The whole city flocks to receive the war hero who has returned home. Woodrow is expected to compete against incumbent Mr. Noble in the upcoming mayoral election. Things get even more tricky when Woodrow wrote his girlfriend Libby a letter telling her not to wait for him. Now Libby is dating the mayor's son, Forrest Noble.

Woodrow cannot keep up the story of lies for long. At an election rally, he confesses that he was not at war. He's going home, wants to pack his things to get out of town. Libby leaves the mayor's son and wants to go with Woodrow. Meanwhile, Heppelfinger, the sergeant, is promoting Woodrow as a courageous man who hates lies. The fact that Woodrow confessed to the circumstances gives the townspeople a belief that Woodrow is the right man for mayor's post.

background

Not named in the credits is the later Oscar winner Victor Young , who worked with Werner R. Heymann on the film music. He won his Oscar in 1956. The three-time Oscar winner Hans Dreier was one of the film's architects. The costume design was created by eight-time Oscar winner Edith Head .

Reviews

Bosley Crowther of the New York Times found the film "exuberantly funny". The result is a “superlative small town comedy” and “at the same time one of the wisest” that one of the big studios has ever produced. Variety said the film was "further proof" that Preston Sturges was "one of the best scriptwriters / directors" in Hollywood.

For the film service , Heil was "a bitter satire on the American-style hurray patriotism, which impresses above all with the perfect timing of the linguistic and visual gags" to the victorious hero . The result was "[s] lively burlesque entertainment, which partly takes back its criticism through the sentimental happy ending".

Awards

Preston Sturges was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 1945 Academy Awards.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "This riotously funny motion picture, this superlative small-town comedy, is also one of the wisest ever to burst from a big-time studio." Bosley Crowther : The Screen . In: The New York Times , August 10, 1944.
  2. ↑ "The deft hand of Preston Sturges molded this film, further proof that he is one of the industry's best writer-directors." Hail the Conquering Hero . In: Variety , 1944.
  3. ↑ Hail to the victorious hero. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed July 27, 2018 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used