JohnHowardReid Review of Professional Soldier

Professional Soldier (1935)

If you don't like skits, give it a miss!

[8/10 · 1 October 2016]

Critics have looked at the variety of Tay Garnett's work for the cinema (he was employed in just about every genre) and have thrown up their hands in despair. Yet there was one type of work that Garnett excelled at, namely his special forte, the tongue-in-cheek adventure yarn, ranging from this film (although it is not a prime example) through Seven Sinners to The Black Knight. For this one, production values are first class and they include some mighty impressive sets, attractive photography, smooth film editing and a very pleasant music score. The movie begins very promisingly with a song and dance by Dixie Dunbar, plus a glorious night club brawl with Victor McLaglen (pronounced as I'm sure most of you know, "Ma- clock-len") single handedly beating off a platoon of waiters, and ending with an inventive little shot when a gendarme's cap falls to the floor. McLaglen's nursemaid role is intriguing. And so is the cloak-and-dagger in the hotel bed-room, punctuated by Whalen staggering to the bath-room. The next appearance of our heroes at a masked frolic in the king's palace is visually lavish, although McLaglen's heavy playing as Colonel Donovan is a slight drawback. But he is soon in his element later on, giving lip to Constance Collier and spinning wild tales for the king. As for the rest of the cast, Michael Whalen plays with an agreeable light touch, but the rest of them seems to take their chores much too seriously. At least Gloria Stuart spreads credit on William Lambert's costumes, and Freddie Bartholomew is much less obnoxious here than in his Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer movies. The center of the movie tends to drag a bit, but all is soon redeemed by a don't-spare-the extras action climax, plus a magnificent investiture ceremony with McLaglen advancing and retreating to the tune of "Halls of Montezuma" which is gloriously sent up. All this kidding around is not everyone's cup of tea, I'll admit, so I repeat, if you don't like skits, give it a miss!