"Stage door canteen" belongs to Borzage's patriotic movies .But unlike the obsolete "flirtation walk" and "shipmates forever" ,and though its very nature makes it a dated work,it nonetheless represents an inestimable time capsule.Delmer Daves' screenplay blends the story of several soldiers about to leave for war with numerous acts (singers,musicians,conjurers,ventriloquists) and a cast of thousands ,some of whom just appear a few seconds (Weissmuller) .Borzage's touch can be felt in these "shining hours " and,although the canteen is a place where the soldiers are having fun, death is present ,notably in the scene in which the girls read a letter in their room or in the words the young Russian woman utters .A sublime scene shows Katharine Cornell and a soldier playing a scene from "Romeo and Juliet" .Although a rather long movie,"stage door canteen" is never boring ,often very moving, and we do care for these young men ,the big brothers of the boys of "no greater glory".