This Is the Army (1943)

As a musical This is the Army is average at best. As a slice of American History, of a time when so many entertainers put aside personal profit to entertain troops, this film is special. Also it is a reminder that Michael Curtiz, not usually ranked among the great directors is none the less one of the most versatile director ever. Coming off of Yankee Doodle Dandy, this is another flag waving musical, and if he isn't lucky enough to have a star of the level of James Cagney, this ensemble review is more reflective of the wartime review show. The numbers are well staged, with many fine solo performances highlighted. Particularly outstanding is the performance by Kate Smith of God Bless America, interspersed with shots of families about to be affected by the war listening intently. It really does give of sense of what it was like in 1942, wondering where sons and husbands would be going soon. But in the end nothing about that matters. This film is worth watching just to see Irving Berlin reprise his role in Yip Yip Yaphank, performing "I Hate to Get Up In The Morning". (Berlin, a chronic insomniac, really did hate getting up in the morning). In addition to the historic value of this piece of film, there is also some satisfaction in seeing one of the true geniuses of the American Musical Theatre, just managing to carry the tune of one of his own songs. It is a tribute to his commitment to the country and the war that he is willing to put himself front and center in this way. I own a DVD purchased in the wild and wooly days of copyright laoses, bought specifically for the purpose of owning this ;little slice of history. Sometimes I put it in and just waatch that part. There are better films of Irving Berlin's music, but none tht feature the man himself.

As a twenty-year resident of Yaphank, New York, which is on Long Island about 60 miles east of Manhattan, I've learned some of the background of this movie.Irving Berlin wrote "Yip, Yip, Yaphank" while stationed at Camp Upton in Yaphank during WW I. (Camp Upton is now the Brookhaven National Laboratory.) For this show, which was indeed written to be performed by the soldiers, Berlin wrote "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning" and the melody of "God Bless America," which was actually cut from the show in its original form.The show even ran briefly on Broadway in 1918 with a Camp Upton cast, according to the Internet Broadway Data Base.After the war ended, the songs were put away, then brought out for the morale-boosting efforts of WW II. Berlin frequently rewrote and reused his songs; he revised the lyrics of "God Bless America" for Kate Smith and the rest, as they say, is history.

I acquired this film by chance, and without cost, and I still regret that it occupies any shelf space in my home. This review contains no spoilers because there is nothing to spoil: The film spans two generations of Army men; the first put on a show about marching off to fight the "Great War" and their children put on a show about being in the Army during World War Two.The music is awful, patriotic fluff; the editing makes the film impossible to understand; there is no acting to speak of, no character development; and the appearance of soldiers dressed in black-face is sickening to the point of physical revulsion.Even a Joe Lewis cameo becomes offensive, based on the scene that follows directly.I give this movie a 1 out of 10, only because it is not possible to assign a negative score.

This movie is a classic of World War II movies. It was made as a moral booster during the war, and includes the music of Irving Berlin. One thing to note especially is the song "Someday I'm going to murder the bugler" which is sung by Irving Berlin himself (wearing his own WWI uniform).In order to really appreciate this movie you need to understand the world in which it was made, which was a whole lot different than 2004. There was a world war and everyone was concerned about stopping evil. (as opposed to today, where everyone is concerned about how terrorism, or the fight against it, is going to disrupt their daily life)This movie was made as a way to give people something to feel good about, and show patriotism.