No Greater Glory

1934 film by Frank Borzage

March 30, 1934 (1934-03-30)

Running time

74 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

No Greater Glory is a 1934 American Pre-Code allegorical anti-war film directed by Frank Borzage and based on the novel A Pál utcai fiúk by Ferenc Molnár, known in English as "The Boys of Paul Street." The film's box office performance was described as "dismal".^[1]

The film is noteworthy for employing mostly children in its cast; adults only appear in the opening scenes and then fleetingly thereafter. The action centers around an abandoned lumberyard where small kids play army. When a group of older boys unilaterally decide that they will take over the space for themselves, the younger children find themselves with little choice but to play soldiers for real, with tragedy almost inevitable.

Despite its box office failure, it has since become reappraised as an important film, with Leonard Maltin describing it in his Classic Movie Guide as "deeply felt" and "passionately acted," while Borzage authority Michael Grost noted its depiction of "the insidious appeal of militarism."

On August 23, 2019, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released it as a Region 1 Made On Demand DVD.

Plot

Cast

George Breakston as Nemecsek
Frankie Darro as Feri Ats
Jackie Searl as Gereb
Jimmy Butler as Boka
Donald Haines as Csonakos
Lois Wilson as Mother
Christian Rub as Watchman
Samuel Hinds as Gereb Sr.
Ralph Morgan as Nemecsek Sr.
Egon Brecher as Rasz
Rolf Ernest as Ferdie Paztor
Julius Molnar as Henry
Wesley Giraud as Kolnay
Beaudine Anderson as Csele

References

^ Churchill, Douglas W. "The Year in Hollywood: 1934 May Be Remembered as the Beginning of the Sweetness-and-Light Era", New York Times [New York, NY], December 30, 1934: p. X5; retrieved December 16, 2013.