With a title like
The First Legion, I was expecting either a war or horror film. Remember William Peter Blatty's "Exorcist" sequel novel, "Legion"? And opening this Friday in theaters, a new Dennis Quaid sci-fi/horror movie: The title? "Legion". Thankfully, this independently produced 1951 film is not a macabre film; it's a reverent, thought-provoking domestic drama about Catholic priests - directed by none other than Douglas Sirk and starring none other than Charles Boyer.
So what exactly is "The First Legion"? I may have missed any exposition in the film about this. As I understand, "First" in this context means "original" and "Legion" is referring to "legionary", or, the society of Jesuits founded by Loyola. Honestly, I don't know why the film wasn't just called "The Jesuits" or something a little more catchier. According to the TCM website, an alternate title was "Deep in Your Heart", but that sounds like a romance, and probably wouldn't have been a good choice either.
The title, in fact, comes directly from the original depression-era play by Emmet Lavery, which ran on Broadway at both the 46th Street Theater (now Richard Rogers) and Biltmore (now the Friedman) for 3 months in 1934 (Tom Ewell and Charles Coburn were among the actors in the original production).
The play was staged numerous times after the Broadway closing, as the the 1937 poster to the left shows. This particular stage production shown in the poster was part of the New Deal WPA
Federal Theater Project. And notice how it was subtitled: "A Jesuit Play", a good clue to theater-goers of what to expect. I don't know enough about playwright Emmet Lavery - who also wrote the screenplay - to know if he had a Catholic or Jesuit background; the story suggests to me that he had some experience in or a good deal of knowledge of the priesthood or Catholicism. Among his film credits are just a handful of movies, including some lesser known war-themed gems, including 1943's
Hitler's Children starring underrated actor Tim Holt (not to be confused with the Disney
animated short of the same name) and
Forever and a Day. He was nominated for an Oscar for writing one of Gary Cooper's last films,
The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
In my research I discovered some interesting differences between Lavery's play and film treatments. The original play featured an an all-male cast; the film adaptation has one character rewritten as a girl, the character of Terry, played by Barbara Rush. The ads and posters showcase her for good reason: she was an up-and-coming star, and generating buzz for yet another summer '51 flick, the sci-fi classic
When Worlds Collide. In
First Legion, (released just a few months before
Collide), Rush plays the character of Terry as a fiesty high school girl, unable to walk due to a horse riding accident. Her bedroom is decorated with her own artwork (featuring dancers), and she dreams of walking and dancing one day.
Before her character is introduced, we meet an interesting group of Jesuit priests. Many spend most of their time in the seminary where they teach, in a small California town, the same town where Terry lives. We first meet one priest who loves classical music, and sneaks out whenever he can to catch a performance. Some get the opportunity to travel, including one who returns from India with some neat home movie footage. Another outgoing and fun-loving priest is played by the ever-reliable William Demarest; he and his fluffy pooch steal just about every scene they are in. And when some of the priests experience burnout, Boyer's character of the wise, French-born Father Arnoux encourages them to remain faithful and committed.
Boyer and Demarest are probably the most likable screen priests since Father O'Mally and Co. of
Going My Way; you could almost imagine all of them as friends.
One day, a "miracle" occurs - one of the elder, bed-ridden priests (HB Warner, AKA "Mr. Gower" from my favorite movie,
It's A Wonderful Life) suddenly walks, believed by some to be a miracle granted by the deceased Bishop Joseph Martin, who founded the seminary. Word spreads and a media circus erupts, not unlike the one in
Ace in the Hole from the same year, ironically. Though there's no Ferris wheel nor rides (like in
Ace), there are flocks of pilgrims, and merchants, selling fake holy water and statues of Bishop Joseph for $1. People with terminal illnesses and disabilities flock to the seminary gates for some sort of inspiration - including Terry. But Terry's doctor (Lyle Bettger) advises her against going there.
Uninterested in media hype and exploitation, the priests keep the chapel doors closed, but at the same time work on ordaining Bishop Joseph a saint, which lead to some interesting sequences that portray the inner workings of the hierarchy often questioned in this story, a theme of other Sirk films.
Boyer's wise Father Arnoux character (not French in the play) was a lawyer in his past career, and he does a little investigation into the medical history of the "revived" priest. Boyer is great in this role; he really brings to this movie what it needs, and you'll be convinced he is this priest. There is a sequence in the film where he is confronted with a chain-smoking, seminary-dropout doctor. After the doctor confesses a diabolical scheme, Father Arnoux begins to pray for him in a moving scene which I thought showed the depth of this priest's compassion for other people's souls, even the malicious.
A visually appealing (some very impressive composite shots) and thought-provoking film.
