She Goes to War (1929) - Mud, Mascara, and a surprisingly dark WWI trip

Is this worth watching today? Only if you like seeing how old Hollywood handled the reality of war before they got too polished about it.

If you're a fan of silent epics that feel a bit unhinged and experimental, you'll dig this.

Modern audiences who can't stand 'movie logic' regarding disguises will probably hate it though. 🙄

The whole thing starts off pretty light, which is confusing. Joan is this rich girl who just wants to be near her guy, Tom.

She treats the idea of the front lines like a weekend trip to the countryside. It’s almost annoying how naive she is at first.

But then she cuts her hair. The scene where she decides to pass as a man is fast.

She just puts on the helmet and suddenly she's just one of the boys? Sure, okay.

There is this one shot where she’s staring at the mud and you can see the exact moment she realizes this was a terrible mistake.

The movie gets way better once it stops being a romance and starts being about survival.

I was suprised by how much dirt is in this movie. Like, real heavy mud that looks like it smells terrible.

It’s not as clean as Hard-Boiled Haggerty or some of those other hero-focused flicks.

There’s a scene with a tank that is genuinely scary for 1929. The way the camera just sits there while this huge metal beast rolls over the trench... it’s grim.

Eleanor Boardman is actually really good here. She doesn't do that overly dramatic silent movie 'hand to the forehead' thing too much.

She looks exhausted. By the end, her face is just covered in soot and she looks about a thousand years old.

I noticed a weird extra in the background of the mess hall scene. He's just staring directly into the lens for like five seconds.

Nobody told him to look away? It’s kind of funny in a movie that’s trying to be so serious.

The pacing is a bit of a mess. It drags during the first thirty minutes when they are still in the states.

But when the shells start dropping, the energy really picks up.

It reminds me a bit of the intensity you see in Born to Battle, but with way more extras and bigger explosions. 💥

There is this one reaction shot of a soldier dying that lingers way too long. It starts to feel awkward, then sad, then just strange.

I think the writers—and there were like four of them—couldn't decide if this was a feminist statement or just a weird adventure.

It doesn't really matter because the visuals do the heavy lifting.

The ending feels a little rushed, like they ran out of film or money. Or maybe they just wanted to go home.

I liked it more than I thought I would. It’s clunky, but it has soul.

Just don't expect a masterpiece. It's a dirty, loud, slightly confused war movie.

Worth a look if you're bored on a Sunday. 🎬