Arrowsmith (1931)
Picture: C+
Sound: C Extras: D Film: C+
John Ford had been directing films since the silent era
and was a successful filmmaker, but after a series of co-directed works, he
took over solo again in the early sound era and Arrowsmith (1931) is one
of those films. Though mostly known for
Westerns, Ford decided to do a drama about the title doctor (a well-cast Ronald
Colman) who tirelessly pursues science for the betterment of man. Fans of Ford will understand that this is
one of the films from the earlier part of his career that is filled with his
then-unbridled optimism about The United States.
Sinclair Lewis’ book won a Pulitzer Prize for literature,
but this tends to be much more melodramatic and grandstanding, which often dates
the film as much as if it were a shallow formula biopic. The Sidney Howard screenplay, however, is
very well rounded. The title sounds
almost Native American, something that could qualify it, as somehow racist to
some people, but there is nothing cruel or crude about it. In fairness, the full-length version of the
film was once 110 minutes, while this is the 93 minutes-long version. Those minutes could make a difference if
they are ever recovered. As it stands,
this cut of Arrowsmith is worth a look, even if it has been done over
with other characters (“the good doctor” films and TV series without end)
since. It is an original and Helen
Hayes co-stars and Myrna Loy is in a supporting role.
The full frame, black and white 1.33 X 1 image is not bad,
as clear and clean as it could be for a film 64 years old and counting. Some more restoration could be done, as some
footage is down a generation or two down than others, but this is pretty good
just the same. Ray June was the
cinematographer. The Dolby Digital 2.0
Mono offers the original monophonic sound at a lower volume than one would hope
for, so be careful when turning this up, then switching to something else. A highlight here is that the score is by the
great Alfred Newman. There are no extra.
The Goldwyn in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was that of Samuel
Goldwyn, but he left the studio before it went into action to form his own
company. It is only a few years ago
that the current MGM, a studio that no longer owned its original studio space
or any of its films before 1986, bought The Samuel Goldwyn Company for its
catalog and other feature film rights.
As a matter of fact, it was HBO Video in the early years of DVD that
issued many of their films in the then-new format. It is with further irony that as MGM is bought by Sony Pictures
Entertainment that they are reissuing the films finally, years later. Though they have a rich catalog of American
International titles they have been issuing and United Artists titles they
cannot dig deeply into fast enough and restore, that classics from Goldwyn are
back. It is a welcome development to
see what one of the Classical Hollywood Studio System’s top producers came up
with as he competed against the biggest studios in town. Yes, RKO and who knows who else distributed
his films, but these releases will allow the real cinematic Samuel Goldwyn to
stand up again.
- Nicholas Sheffo
