Film Review: Cavalcade

"Cavalcade" *** (out of ****)

Best Picture Oscar (1934)

Frank Lloyd's "Cavalcade" is considered by many film buffs to be the most forgettable Oscar winning "Best Picture". More populist movie fans would have preferred if "King Kong" would have won the award. Clearly between the two films "Kong" is better remembered, thanks to countless remakes. And it was an innovative film. Any movie dealing with a mutant which invades Earth owes something to "King Kong". But the movie wasn't even nominated in 1934 and if it were I seriously doubt it would have won. "Cavalcade" is a good early example of the kind of historical epic the Academy likes to let win. It is the kind of film that wants you to know this is all very, very important.

"Cavalcade" was based on a play written by the "wonder boy" himself, Sir. Noel Coward and adapted into a screenplay by Reginald Berkeley. The film starts off on New Year's Eve of 1899. We spend the beginning of a new century with the upper-class Marryot family. The Boer War is looming on the horizon as the father of the family, Robert (Clive Brook) has been enlisted. Also enlisted is one of their servants, Alfred Bridges (Herbert Mundin). The basic idea of "Cavalcade" is to give us the story of the first 33 years of the 20th century from England's perspective.

At the beginning of "Cavalcade" it seems it is going to be a story of class warfare. We will see history through the eyes of both the upper-class (the Marryot family) and the working class (the Bridges family, their servants). But "Cavalcade" slowly starts to focus more on the Marryot family and keeps the Bridges' family in the background.

The Marryot's consist of wife Jane (Diana Wynyard) and their two sons; Edward (as an adult played by John Warburton) and Joe (Frank Lawton, as an adult). The Bridges are played by wife Ellen (Una O' Connor) and their only daughter Fanny (Ursula Jeans, as an adult). And finally their is the Marryot's friend, Margaret Harris (Irene Browne) and her daughter Edith (Margaret Lindsay, as an adult). Suspiciously we never see Mrs. Harris' husband. Was this child born out of wedlock? Did her husband die? Is little Edith a bastard?

"Cavalcade" has a very preachy tone to it commenting on the silly nature of war, preserving the order of the classes. The Marryot's may seem very nice but they don't really like the idea of the working man forgetting their place and trying to become something. We see this attitude emerge when Joe Marryot starts to have eyes for Fanny. By this time the Bridges own a business and have acquired some wealth. But they are so-called "new money". Given that this was written by Sir. Noel Coward it is what you'd expect a British film to be. The characters retain that snobbish view so many others feel the British have, class warfare, fighting for the honor of the Queen, character's showing restraint in the name of dignity and so on. Strangely though for a Coward production nearly all the songs have been taken out. Ursula Jeans sings "Twentieth Century Blues" as the remaining songs, "Lover of My Dreams", "Mirabelle" and "Girls of the C.I.V." are used for background music.

I suppose the best performance in the film is given by Diana Wynyard, who was nominated for "Best Actress". She is presented as the heart of the film with her sentimental anti-war speeches. Her character in particular, when giving these speeches looks directly into the camera. She is speaking to you. This is an important message which you need to hear. She gives another sentimental speech at the end of the film concerning the new year coming; 1934 and the pains of the past and how we must learn from the past for a better tomorrow. But Wynyard, who looks an awful lot like Norma Shearer, does have some good dramatic moments and is asked to show the widest acting range from anyone else involved.

But that sentimentality is probably what hurts the movie the most. This idea that what we are watching is important. A story of our times kind of feeling. One of the movie's most famous scene has the newly wed couple of Edward and Edith on their honeymoon. They are on a cruise ship. They speak of fading love and death, and you thought the English were romantic! Soon their conversation turns to eternal love they walk away and on a life raft we see the name of their ship. I won't give it away but it is suppose to be one of those "ah ha!" moments and we are suppose to be teary eyed because we know the fate of that ship.

This sentimentality I suppose is even stronger when modern audiences watch this movie. The film ends at 1933 and as the Marryot's give us their New Year's Eve speech we known what awaits not only England but the world. We know another world war is on the way, political assassinations, scandals, Vietnam, the civil rights movement. The future is not any brighter than the past.

I've always been a little amazed at how much Americans admire the English. That's what "Cavalcade" winning the Oscar represents to me. An American fascination with the British. Americans look to them as a source of dignity. They admire their history and culture. But I've never been able to understand why. I personally don't hold them to the same high esteem. Before the hate mail starts, I'm not saying I don't like the British. I've been to London, it is very nice there. In fact I'd like to go back. I just don't keep them more than my own.

"Cavalcade" beat out some good competition for "Best Picture". It was nominated against "42nd Street", "A Farewell to Arms", "I Am A Fugitive from a Chain Gang", Frank Capra's "Lady for A Day" and the Mae West comedy, "She Done Him Wrong". Other films were nominated as well, the Academy nominated more than their typical five. Of these nominees I think "42nd Street" would have been a good populist choice or for respectability perhaps "I Am A Fugitive from a Chain Gang".

The director of the film Frank Lloyd also won a "Best Director" award. He won once before in 1930 for "The Divine Lady" and would be nominated again in 1936 for "Mutiny on the Bounty" which did win "Best Picture". Lloyd doesn't have a strong list of films to his credit besides the already mentioned films. "Cavalcade" won one more Oscar for "Art Direction" and Wynyard lost for her performance to Katharine Hepburn for "Morning Glory".

Does "Cavalcade" really deserve its title as the most forgotten film? No. I may have seemed a little harsh on it but it is a watchable film. I just don't think it deserved the Oscar for "Best Picture" but I understand where the Academy was coming from. I like "In Which We Serve" another Noel Coward commentary on war, this time about WW2, a lot more. It marked David Lean's directorial debut. But that film lost the "Best Picture" Oscar to "Casablanca".