A Farewell to Arms (Frank Borzage, 1932)

Based on the Ernest Hemingway semi-autobiographical A Farewell to Arms, Frank Borzage’s 1932 film is considered one of the best adaptations of his novels. An important film that tackles the war pessimistically, it celebrates the unique and romantic love forged between a Lieutenant and nurse and the tragic outcome. A Farewell to Arms boldly stated how commonplace pre-marital sex was during the Great War, while also tackling the fracturing relationship and conflict soldiers had towards the cause itself. Something frowned upon by the Hays Code who deemed that “lustful kissing” and the scenes of childbirth needed to be excised from the film. Thank God David O. Selznick had an original nitrate copy after garnering the rights for his remake in 1955, for Lobster Films to restore.

Bombs explode during the opening credits. A Farewell to Arms charts Lt. Frederic Henry’s (Gary Cooper) career as an American, working for the ambulances on the Italian Front. Arriving at a local hospital, Major Rinaldi (Adolph Menjou) recommends the nurses - and specifically Ms. Catherine Barclay (Helen Hayes). Frederic and Catherine meet, by chance, when bombs hit the town and he drunkenly plays with her foot, mistaking her for someone else. Their romance blossoms, something the nurses are displeased with. Officers, including Rinaldi, become worried Frederic will “lose his head over some woman”. Fate brings them together in Milan, whereby Frederic is injured and Catherine by his bedside. Their love distracts them from the war, but it isn’t long before Lt. Henry is called back to the front. Reluctantly they part ways, though Frederic is unaware of her pregnancy...

One would expect the Lieutenant to fight, return to his girlfriend with child, to live their life together. Slight alterations from the book are expected, but a positive end is not Hemingway. The Lieutenant doesn’t see what he is fighting for and, against regulation, runs away from the front. Arrested, he flees to Switzerland, only to hold his lover as she dies in his arms.

The opening alone hints at such a dark commentary on military action, as we pan over a hill to reveal a dead soldier with a missing leg. A throwaway attitude to women is also callous and flippant. “What sort of town is it? Any girls?”/”…a house full of them”. The Hays Production Code in 1934 cut these “sordid” moments, and even inserted a shot of a wedding ring being placed on Catherine’s hand (despite talk of a wedding later in the film!) to try and create a more “decent” picture.

But this is what makes A Farewell to Arms so powerful. The re-release of Rome, Open City revealed the pressures and losses during World War II and All Quiet on the Western Front told us about the horrors. we can look back on war with a certain nostalgia, or sense of pride. A Farewell to Arms tells us how awful it can be – while in the foreground is a loving relationship that we should all be so lucky to have.

This post was originally written for Flickering Myth on 30th May 2014

150W: You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger

Short reviews for clear and concise verdicts on a broad range of films...

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (Dir. Woody Allen/2010)

Squeezed between Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris are two less-known features. Whatever Works harks back to earlier scripts while You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger is a mish-mash of actors and threads of stories that are, ultimately, forgettable. Alfie (Hopkins) divorces his wife, Helena (Jones), while daughter Sally (Watts) struggles with her own husband, Roy (Brolin). Roy falls for younger-model Dia (Pinto)as Sally herself fantasizes about her boss Greg (Banderas). Allen explains how what weaves the stories together is delusion - faith in the future, belief in reincarnation. Esteemed actors, such as Anthony Hopkins, meant I had faith they’d be more engaging than standard affairs fare and upper-class woe. London fails to add a sense of purpose (as locations do in Manhattan and Midnight in Paris) while the Stacey-Solomon-like charm of the prostitute seems cliché and insulting. Woody Allen can be more nuanced and engaging than this!

Rating: 4/10

150W: The Wolverine

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The Wolverine (Dir. James Mangold/2013)

The Wolverine, with flaws (and claws) does manage to separate itself from the usual X-Men fare, to create a James-Bond-type adventure for Logan. Travelling to Japan, and mourning the loss of Jean-Grey, he meets a man he saved from Nagasaki. Now an old man, technology-magnate Yashida, is on his death bed and desires Wolverine’s healing abilities. A film supported by young-mutants Yukio (who can see the future) and sultry Viper (more Poison Ivy from Batman and Robin), it is a new take on our clawed hero as, early on, his healing powers are weakened and we see him struggle from one fight to the next – something rare in every other adventure. Picture-postcard Japan, multiple women and an arrogant, robotic villain makes Wolverine more 007, but it works. Despite the weak snake-woman and a CGI-heavy climax, The Wolverine is likeable and tailor-made for X-Men fans who want something a little different.

Rating: 6/10

150W: X-Men: First Class

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X-Men: First Class (Dir. Matthew Vaughan/2011)

After the dismal X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the lacklustre X-trilogy finale in X-Men: The Last Stand, this instalment is considerably stronger. Charles “Prof. X.” Xavier (with full head of hair) in McAvoy and Erik “Magneto” Lenscherr in Fassbender demand our attention in X-Men: First Class. Indeed, their bromance lifts this film to heights that are stronger than many of the previous instalments. Jennifer Lawrence is Raven (Or young-Mystique), this time a friend of Prof. X. The standard “mutants with or against the world” dynamic is repeated through the villainous Sebastian Shaw (Bacon). Rival to both Erik and Charles, he uses the 1960’s cold-war to pit Russia and America against each other - with mutants picking up the pieces. X-Men: First Class is so much fun. With creaky-CGI, it rises to the challenge of reinvigorating the series through a playful plot. It's is exciting to see where the X-Men will go next…

Rating: 7/10

150W: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

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X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Dir. Gavin Hood/2009)

We know this story. Indeed, considering X2 resolved Wolverine’s history (throwing his dog-tags away), you’d think another re-tread is unnecessary. But we know nothing of his brother, Sabretooth, nor his alleyway fight with metal-tipped, pack-of-cards-throwing, Gambit. Fighting in both world wars and the American civil war, clawed-beast Wolverine has tried to set up a home, but his animalistic past drags him back to fighting. Unfortunately, this single film has left the series in tatters. Relying on mutant teams working together (akin to all previous X-Men films), it feels tired and repetitive – indeed, even the villain remains the same as X2 in William Stryker. Climaxing with a chaotic finale, as Sabretooth and Wolverine temporarily put aside their differences. They fight a super-mutant, Deadpool, who harnesses all the powers – surely he can re-grow body parts? Excessive CGI and flat characterisation makes the origin of Wolverine the dullest affair yet – a real shame.

Rating: 3/10