“I’ve had it with heroes. Every man I’ve loved has died in this war.”
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Review: Note: Another minor irritant, as pointed out by DVD Savant, is “the women’s hairstyles: Andrews, [Liz] Fraser and all of Garner’s good-time motor pool girls have poofy 1964 big-hair hairdos … there’s little or no period feeling.” Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“It’s for Apple Annie, see? She’s in a tough spot, and it’s up to us to give her a break.”
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“I want you — all of you — to be my baby’s godfathers.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“She sees this lady; no one else does.”
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Review: The lengthy film merits its 156 minute running time. We’re first introduced to Jones (part of a large family) living in extreme poverty, with her mother (Revere) and father (Roman Bohnen) scarcely knowing where the next meal will come from — thus making it all the more powerful when Bernadette’s visions bring about both a seeming-miracle of healing AND a gift of plentiful food from neighbors. Time is taken to establish Bernadette’s lack of spiritual knowledge in school (due to asthma-induced absences), which leads to her stern nun-teacher’s (Cooper’s) refusal to allow her to accept a beautiful “miracle card” from the local priest (Bickford); could Bernadette’s later vision be a manifestation of this simple gift taken so quickly and cruelly from her? We simply don’t know, and to the film’s credit, we’re not asked to necessarily believe one version of reality over another. The film’s final “act” come as a bit of a surprise, given that a logical denouement has already occurred — but we soon learn that a sideline involving Cooper’s character (who becomes unexpectedly pivotal to the plot) must be given time to mature, and that Bernadette herself SPOILER ALERT will be given more than a simple send-off to a nunnery. Price gives a notably powerful performance as Bernadette’s primary foil, who earnestly believes that “To wipe out an epidemic, you must eliminate the cause” — but the entire cast is uniformly excellent (as is Arthur Miller’s cinematography). Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“Such women don’t deserve to have children!”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“It’s about time you learned that girls want to do the same things as boys.”
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“A woman can always tell when a man is going to propose.”
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Review: Note: It was interesting to learn, according to Dennis Morgan’s Trivia page on IMDb, that “During the 1940’s, for six consecutive years, Mr. Morgan received more fan mail than any other star (male or female) at Warner Brothers”; he was in plenty of titles, but few were apparently all that memorable.
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“Did you ever see a bellhop who didn’t want to be a fighter?”
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It’s a good thing the film opens with a charming scene in which Davis expresses her long-time devotion to Robinson, so we’ll rest easy as Morris falls for pretty but bratty Bryan instead. However, it’s Davis’s and Morris’s well-being we care most about, which makes it a bit challenging to watch the narrative take pains to separate them (Davis’s nightclub singer is clearly too much of a “loose woman” to deserve an upstanding guy like Morris). Humphrey Bogart merely lurks menacingly on the sidelines:
… waiting for a chance for his rivalry with Robinson to catch fire, but doesn’t have much of interest to do. This film is more engaging than the 1962 remake with Elvis Presley, but not must-see viewing. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“I do what must be done. That is what I know how to do.”
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In Alternate Oscars, Peary gives the Best Actor award to Humphrey Bogart as Rick in Casablanca rather than Lukas in this film, noting that the “Hungarian Lukas was much better playing foreign villains in The Lady Vanishes and Confessions of a Nazi Spy than he was as leading men”: Peary asserts that Lukas’s performance here “is as shaky as the alcoholic Rick’s hand — at times he sounds like Bela Lugosi.” (Ouch!) Unfortunately, I’m in agreement with most of Peary’s points: this is indeed a stagy, speech-filled film, one which was likely excellent propaganda but hasn’t held up well as a drama (and is terribly acted by the kids).
With that said, I don’t find Lukas’s characterization “shaky”, and disagree with Peary’s assertion that Davis gives a “bad performance” — rather, her role is minor, and thus unusual for someone of her stature.
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“I’m still rich — I’ve got my love for you!”
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The primary problem is that Jones’s character lacks the agency and ambition I recall being present in the novel: for most of the story, she seems to be simply reacting to forces beyond her control, and is presented as a pawn in the hands of deceptive men (and one resentful woman).
Olivier’s portrayal as George Hurstwood is more nuanced, yet we struggle to sympathize with him — especially as he, too, manipulates and lies to Carrie (Jones) simply to meet his own desires.
The production itself is nicely handled, with effective sets and cinematography, but film fanatics needn’t seek this one out. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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