The True Glory (1945)
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The True Glory Movie Review
The True Glory is a 1945 documentary film directed by Carol Reed. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and it is above average in quality.
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“I now know why this war has been worth fighting“
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A postwar documentary about the Allied victory in World War II using actual footage from the war, this was a joint effort between Great Britain and the United States. Beginning with the D-Day invasion of Normandy Beach, the film chronicles the fall of the Nazis on the Western front. There were many documentaries released during WWII era that were renowned back then, but are now long forgotten due to being propagandistic and/or simplistic. This is not one of those movies.
Because the film came out after the war, we get a stronger context and a full picture. We don’t get that annoying patriotic angle or the speeches meant to boost the morale of people and soldiers. Instead, we get a surprisingly honest take on what happened during these years and how it was a collaborative effort to beat the Nazis and not just the American one. The final section that honored the Russian soldiers was just wonderful and it’s a shame that we don’t get more of that sentiment in recent American films.
The True Glory does feel rather repetitive in its middle section. The movie is under one and a half hours in length, but it felt longer due to that problematic and weakly paced second act. There were too many interviews and speeches that hit on the same note over and over again. More variety was needed in this instance.
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But what worked is the lack of speechifying as the documentary feels much more modern than its contemporaries due to its grounded takes, important footage and a sense of immediacy as it was filmed just after the war itself, so it felt very much triumphant and historic in that sense. The highlight is the ending that showcases the travesties of the war, even including the then rare glimpse at the concentration camps. This conclusion was so heartbreaking and powerful that it alone made the film’s Oscar win very much deserved.
The True Glory is a rare WWII documentary from the forties that isn’t just propaganda for the war effort, but a genuine account of what happened during the war told through many important interviews and featuring some terrific footage. The second act is repetitious, but the final section is particularly powerful for its emphasis on the collaborative nature of the allied victors as well as a tragic look at concentration camps and ruined cities.
My Rating – 4
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