Rating PG
Length 1h30
Release 08.12.1932
Director Frank Borage
About An American ambulance driver in the Italian forces falls in love with an English Red Cross nurse and their relationship is tested by WWI and stressful circumstances.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: BBC IPlayer
Trailer:
The Good
The sets are really beautiful and while the close ups have that hazy look to them, but the wide and mid shots are okay and well framed.
There are transition scenes; the location or passage of time in which the film expresses some whimsy. Seeing the smoke of the train write out Milan was adorable.
There’s a section, not long after we’re informed that Frederic is in Milan that we get a section of pov shots. It’s quite a moving way of establishing Frederic being in a hospital. They’re really quite effective only being able to see the ceiling as he’s wheeled to his room, faces voices answering his questions.
The Bad
I know it will be reflective of the time, but the admonishment of Catherine and Frederic’s conversation about children in their future. How the fuck do you have a successful and healthy relationship without talking about such things before marriage?!
Yes, okay, society was very different then and it was a religious imperative for family life to take place within a marriage. However, it just really hit me as a really toxic and sure-fire way of having a really unhappy couple.
Helen Hayes may have given a strong performance in terms of character and emotions, however her accent is appalling. There’s scenes where she gives up completely.
The war time montage with only a musical score was really hard to follow. Slightly too quick edits in fast succession. Slowing it down and adding some dialogue would have just filled in the gap.
The Ugly
This film has been edited and cut up to a detrimental effect. Not the director’s fault, but more a reflection of the time and the introduction of the Hays Code. They are harsh and rushed cuts that are obvious to anyone who watches.
I get the sense that the romantic thread is only part of the original story. The war was almost a backdrop to the romance instead of an integral part of who they all were and the decisions they made.
The film could have demonstrated the action of war a little more.
Final Thoughts
A decent film for the time in which it was made. I would love to see the original cut of it as the way it stands, its a little too rough and choppy.
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