The final moments of Frank Borzage’s No Greater Glory are filled with sorrow, innocence, hope, and pure incandescent light. After all the bitter fighting and tragic sacrifice, the two gangs walk side by side. They aid and comfort Nemecsek’s grieving mother. And they give Nemecsek one last farewell as the battlefield around them is destroyed. In that moment, innocence trumps all. All Nemecsek wanted was to be respected by his friends. He had such devotion and innocent passion for the cause that the other side respected him. He was a good person, everyone felt it. And his death was the only way to unite the two sides. This powerful idea of innocence rising above all is utterly Borzage. In the way only Borzage can do, the audience, at the end, is brought to a place where goodness can fix everything.
Of course, that ending simply would not work without the careful control bestowed by Borzage. The challenge he has is the same as in any of his films: the audience is predisposed to turn away from sentimentality. If they aren’t hitched along for the ride, the experience is ruined. Borzage, then, has to make the audience fall in love with the main character. He has to show his inherent goodness and innocence, reveal his deepest …show more content…
Borzage defined his career by bringing romances to life on screen — romances of lovers, of friends, of people. In No Greater Glory, Borzage has to deal with someone who has a love of cause. Nemecsek loves the Paul Street Boys. He just wants to belong, and more importantly, be respected. His goal isn’t as tangible as simply wanting to be with another person. Nemecsek wants to be a kind of person. And all along, there’s an omnipresent obstacle — war. Nemecsek doesn’t belong in wartime. He’s good and honest, small and weak; he’s supposed to be playing, not fighting. War is getting in the way of his
Of course, that ending simply would not work without the careful control bestowed by Borzage. The challenge he has is the same as in any of his films: the audience is predisposed to turn away from sentimentality. If they aren’t hitched along for the ride, the experience is ruined. Borzage, then, has to make the audience fall in love with the main character. He has to show his inherent goodness and innocence, reveal his deepest …show more content…
Borzage defined his career by bringing romances to life on screen — romances of lovers, of friends, of people. In No Greater Glory, Borzage has to deal with someone who has a love of cause. Nemecsek loves the Paul Street Boys. He just wants to belong, and more importantly, be respected. His goal isn’t as tangible as simply wanting to be with another person. Nemecsek wants to be a kind of person. And all along, there’s an omnipresent obstacle — war. Nemecsek doesn’t belong in wartime. He’s good and honest, small and weak; he’s supposed to be playing, not fighting. War is getting in the way of his