Having been hailed as the American Eisenstein after winning his second Oscar in 1930 for Erich Maria Remarque's 'All Quiet on the Western Front', Lewis Milestone is again directing this adaptation of a novel by Remarque set in pre-War Paris with a top-draw international cast. What could possibly go wrong? EVERYTHING it seems.
The combined effect of a lengthened shooting schedule and increased budget caused by incessant rewrites and revamping sank the newly formed Enterprise Pictures and the four hour version was finally done to death by the unkindest cut of all, that of the cutting-room scissors.
The character of 'ghost surgeon' Dr. Ravic had appeared in several of Remarque's novels and is here interpreted by Charles Boyer although by his own admission it was a role he didn't like in a story he didn't trust. His leading lady here, the luminous Ingrid Bergman, confided to him that she felt she had made a mistake when agreeing to play demi-mondaine Joan and her character's neuroses and histrionics do become increasingly tiresome.
One senses that Charles Laughton's bizarre turn as a nasty Nazi has not exactly been improved by the drastic editing whilst Ruth Warwick as cancer patient Kate Hegstrom has been expunged entirely. The always-good-value Louis Calhern is perfectly cast, has been gifted the most memorable lines and comes off best.
Russell Metty's chiaroscuro cinematography has emphasised the doom and gloom by shrouding the City of Light in perpetual darkness whilst Louis Gruenberg's score is suitably ominous.
Probably best to leave the final word to Monsieur Boyer: "Before the editing it was terrible for four hours, now it is only terrible for two hours".
The combined effect of a lengthened shooting schedule and increased budget caused by incessant rewrites and revamping sank the newly formed Enterprise Pictures and the four hour version was finally done to death by the unkindest cut of all, that of the cutting-room scissors.
The character of 'ghost surgeon' Dr. Ravic had appeared in several of Remarque's novels and is here interpreted by Charles Boyer although by his own admission it was a role he didn't like in a story he didn't trust. His leading lady here, the luminous Ingrid Bergman, confided to him that she felt she had made a mistake when agreeing to play demi-mondaine Joan and her character's neuroses and histrionics do become increasingly tiresome.
One senses that Charles Laughton's bizarre turn as a nasty Nazi has not exactly been improved by the drastic editing whilst Ruth Warwick as cancer patient Kate Hegstrom has been expunged entirely. The always-good-value Louis Calhern is perfectly cast, has been gifted the most memorable lines and comes off best.
Russell Metty's chiaroscuro cinematography has emphasised the doom and gloom by shrouding the City of Light in perpetual darkness whilst Louis Gruenberg's score is suitably ominous.
Probably best to leave the final word to Monsieur Boyer: "Before the editing it was terrible for four hours, now it is only terrible for two hours".