The Long Gray Line1955The Long Gray Line
1955
Marty Maher, a hot-tempered Irish immigrant, arrives at West Point as a waiter and stays for fifty years as an enlisted instructor. With his wife Mary, he becomes a father figure to generations of cadets.
The default: films the whole family can watch together; any scary or intense moments for the littlest viewers are flagged in the Context Notes.
Why it’s here
A humble immigrant serves West Point for half a century and is beloved by generations of cadets. Marriage, duty, and loyalty, from John Ford.
Context notes
For parents, before you press play.
Marty gets drunk after the death of his newborn son (shown as grief, not glorified), cadets he loves die in WWI, and Mary dies. A couple of punches.
The Long Gray Line (1955)
Discussion questions
When the credits end, go around the room. Each person gives the film a score out of ten and says why.
- Why did Marty stay at West Point?
- What did the cadets learn from him?
- How did Mary support him?
- What does "duty, honor, country" mean?
Content advisory
WebSearch synthesis: a newborn's death; drunkenness; a cadet killed in WWI; Mary's death; punches.
Trailer
Best edition
The disc comes first.
The Long Gray Line (1955)
DVD · January 2, 2001
Edition link coming soon.
Listing on Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)Coming later
Where to stream
Streaming services are not listed yet. When they are, this note stays secondary to the disc.