The Long Gray Line
1955 · Movie · NR · 138 min · ★ 7.0 · 85% critics
An Irish immigrant builds a new life in America and finds purpose at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Over decades of service, he balances duty with family life while forming lasting bonds with generations of young cadets, in a story inspired by a real person.
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Details
- Years
- 1955
- Release date
- 1955-01-04
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 138 min
- Critic score
- 85/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.0/10 (57 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a warm, old-school, feel-good story about duty, family, and mentorship with plenty of sentiment, especially if you like The Quiet Man or Mister Roberts; Not for you if you dislike overt patriotism or melodrama.
Pros: heartfelt and nostalgic; strong performances; uplifting patriotic themes | Cons: sentimental and corny; episodic pacing; heavy-handed patriotism
Themes
- immigrant
- cadet
- love at first sight
- irish-american
- marching band
- military life
- west point
- mentor protégé relationship
- military academy
- life during wartime
- irish immigrant
- army cadet
- +14 more
Cast & crew
Tyrone Power
as Martin Maher
Maureen O'Hara
as Mary O'Donnell
Robert Francis
as James Sundstrom Jr.
Donald Crisp
as Old Martin
Ward Bond
as Captain Herman Kohler
Betsy Palmer
as Kitty Carter
Philip Carey
as Chuck Dotson
William Leslie
as James "Red" Sundstrom
Harry Carey, Jr.
as Dwight D. Eisenhower
Patrick Wayne
as Abner "Cherub" Overton
Directed by John Ford