User Reviews

One is disposed to like this 5 hankie weeper about a soldier blinded during a WWI recon mission, which along with a sojourn in a German military hospital, prevents his being reunited with his sweetheart of many years. Reported dead, this unbelievable knucklehead is too chicken to face family and friends as a blind man, so he elects to take a false name and live apart. Actually, he lives only a few miles from the folks who would desperately like to have him back alive, in any condition. Of course,they don't know about the blindness. Well, that's the situation. Even though I checked the spoiler box to be safe, I will say no more about the denouement. If you don't boil over with impatience at such a protagonist, there are some good things to enjoy. Merle Oberon, mainly! She's the sweetheart, but a vacillating one in the early stages who can't make up her mind between two fellows, who are either friends or cousins, or maybe both. The film is a little vague about this. When she does make a selection, there's some queer English law that prevents their immediate marriage before the guy ships out for France. Being practical folk in some respects, they decide to ignore the proprieties and spend their final night together. The "production code" being in effect in 1935, presumably all they do is drink champagne and eat chicken, but, alas, the guy is seen by an obnoxious poor relation heading upstairs, obviously bound for a tryst. The girl isn't seen, so when the twerp reports what he did see to the "other guy", this worthy severs his long time friendship. This enmity is an unintended cause of the wounding, blinding and capture earlier mentioned. Both the "girl" and the "other guy" thus believe they were responsible for their friend's death. That's enough to get you interested. While reaching for another Kleenex, note some lovely views of the English countryside, enjoy the antics of two cute little girl actresses, and have a look at attractive Frieda Inescourt as "Miss Wise". She is the blind guy's secretary. Oh, yes. He became a writer of children's novels, and seems to enjoy quite a lush life style on the proceeds.

When I hear someone say that an old film is "dated", I attempt to determine in what way is it dated. Some old films are dated because they are cliché-ridden...such as many of the gangster films and high society films of the 1930s, as well as many of the Westerns of the 1950s.

This film, made in 1935, is "dated", but in a different sense. It is dated because it concerns a time that we today cannot imagine...in a place -- England -- of which we actually know little (at least in that era). Really, we have no sense of World War I, what the mores of the time were, how people really behaved, or how they thought. Two years from when I am writing this, it will be a century since WWI began. So I reject that this film is "dated". It is simply a film about a time we know little.

The story begins with 3 close friends -- children -- in England. Merle Oberon and cousins Fredric March and Herbert Marshall)...although I mistakenly thought they were supposed to be brothers. The question is, once they reach adulthood, which of the boys will Oberon marry. It turns out to be March, just as he is ready to go off to World War I. They attempt to get married at the last minute, but that plans fail, so they spend his last night together before he goes to the front. A cousin gives Marshall the idea that March stayed with a prostitute, and Marshall feels March has let Oberon down. So, when it comes time to select a group of soldiers for a dangerous mission, Marshall chooses March out of anger. Marshall lives, though wounded. March dies. Or does he? We discover that he became a POW and was blinded in the battle. After the war, the blind March settles down near his own town, but determined not to see his old friends and relatives. He becomes an author children's' books. But his publisher finds out who he really is and arranges for Marshall and Oberon -- who had planned to marry -- to visit March. What will their reaction be when they find out he is alive but blind? And who will Oberon marry? The cast here is excellent. The Marshall as one of the young men was interesting, particularly because he had lost a leg in real life during WWI..you can notice the limp later in the film here, although it is covered up with a cane due to his film injuries. Marshall was too old for this part...about 20 years older than Oberon...but he doesn't look it, and it works. Marshall was always an excellent actor, and this film is no exception.

Oberson is excellent, as well, and in fact was nominated for the Academy Award for this film. Fredric March is also excellent here, and plays being blind quite well.

Two supporting actors are worth mentioning -- Janet Beecher as the "mother" to Marshall and March, and John Halliday as March's friend and publisher.

The production (by Samuel Goldwyn) is nicely done. Good cinematography and sound, and realistic sets. The only flaw is in the scenes at the hospital for the blind, where it appears some who are blind are looking at one of the other blind men as he speaks. Not a big deal, but noticeable.

A technique is used in this film, perhaps the first??? Not sure. An ill wind brings bad luck. Quite effective here, and not overdone.

Highly recommended.

A story of misunderstanding among friends with tragedy resulting and an uplifting of the human spirit. This marks the 1935 film "The Dark Angel."

Fred March, Merle Oberon and Herbert Marshall are childhood friends in England. When they grow up, World War 1 has begun and March and Marshall serve in the British army. March and Oberon are lovers. Marshall is foolishly led to believe that March is with another woman right before battle. Angry, he sends March out in a mission and the latter is killed. When he discovers the truth, he is guilt ridden as is Oberon for she was the woman who was with March that night. Had she not insisted that she be with him, Allen (March) would still be alive.

Time tries to heal wounds. 3 years passes and Marshall and Oberon have forgiven themselves and plan to wed.

The chance meeting with a blinded March is memorable. The latter tries to shield his blindness but the truth again merges in a beautiful ending. March, who couldn't bring himself to go to his friends as a blind man, finds compassion once again in the arms of Miss Oberon.

Beautifully done.

I enjoyed watching this film but also knew as I was watching it that this movie was a bit flawed. However, despite some shortcomings in the script, the acting was so good that I could ignore the problems and focus on all the good in the film. In so many ways this is a very lovely film to watch--with excellent direction, cinematography and music combining with the acting to make the film quite magical at times. The romance between the two leads is quite touching and the film nearly brought me to tears on several occasions.

Unfortunately, the script was at times like a roller-coaster--being occasionally both wonderful as well as clichéd and silly. The central issue that the movie eventually revolves around is Frederic March's blindness caused by an injury in WWI. Because of the fabulous buildup of his relationship with Merle Oberson from childhood infatuation to their ALMOST getting married during the war, March's decision when he's blinded in the war to run away and create an all new life just seems contrived and senseless. It's more like it's a plot device and not the way a real person would act. In addition, Oberon's apparent "ESP" that allows her to KNOW March was injured in the war just seemed irrelevant and dumb--especially since her ESP wasn't able to let her know that March was in fact alive and hiding his blindness! This "extra sense" aspect of some films just seems like a big cliché to me. However, my advice is do NOT give up on this movie but appreciate all the good it has. It still is a very good and worth while film.

Produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by Sidney Franklin, with a screenplay by Lillian Hellman and Mordaunt Shairp that was based on the play by Guy Bolton (continuity by Claudine West), this slightly above average romantic drama features Merle Oberon's only Academy Award nominated performance (for Best Actress). Richard Day won his first Oscar (on his fourth nomination) for Art Direction; Thomas Moulton's Sound Recording was also nominated.

Merle plays Kitty Vane, a woman who loves two men, Alan Trent played by Fredric March and Gerald Shannon played by Herbert Marshall, with whom she's grown up. World War I plays havoc with her relationships with each man; they're best friends. Janet Beecher plays Gerald's mother; Henrietta Crosman plays Kitty's Granny and Claud Allister her cousin Lawrence Bidley; John Halliday plays Sir George Barton, who helps Alan after the war as does Frieda Inescort as Miss West. The film is a remake of an earlier, 1925 Goldwyn production starring Vilma Bánky, Ronald Colman, and Wyndham Standing, respectively.

Kitty favors Alan and, unable to get a marriage license in time to elope before he and Gerald must leave to fight World War I, she and he have an affair, unknown to everyone else, as they pretend to be an "old" married couple (with four kids, no less!) the night before he must leave. Unfortunately, Kitty's Cousin Lawrence misinterprets the situation and gives spurned Gerald the impression that Alan's been unfaithful to his fiancée. As Alan's superior officer, Gerald denies his friend leave just before a fateful mission during which Alan is thought killed. After two months in rehabilitation for his own injuries incurred, a wounded leg (actor Marshall, who really did lose a leg during WW I, excelled at these roles), Gerald returns to a heartbroken Kitty who, in time (after some separation, 3 years later), becomes Gerald's fiancée. Once Kitty had learned the truth of the denied leave, she'd proclaimed "we both killed him"; they both suffered guilt, hence the time it took them to get back together.

Meanwhile, Alan was not really killed, but he was blinded and refused to give his real name during his recovery, opting for Roger Crane instead, in the clinic run by Sir George. Eventually Alan's convinced to return to Camden Junction but hesitates, once he's there, after imagining what a burden he'd be to Kitty as a blind man. After contemplating suicide, Alan is "saved" and inspired by some innocent young kids, who likely remind him of his youth with Kitty and Gerald, to begin writing children's books as Roger Crane. Miss West, to whom he dictates his text, also assists him with his blindness at his home. Sir George pays Roger a visit and makes the connection between a picture he'd seen of Kitty with Alan and Gerald and one in the local paper announcing the upcoming nuptials between Kitty and Gerald. Happenstance leads a fox-hunt involving these betrothed right past Roger and the aforementioned children (who were on a picnic of sorts) and, even though the three are not reunited, Sir George witnesses Alan's pained expression and desire to move away from the area to prevent a similar, future accident. So, he decides to intervene and telephone Gerald. By Sir George's description of the picture and Roger, Gerald knows that Alan is alive. Gerald decides that he can't help but tell Kitty of this fact, and the two head to the author's house.

When Sir George tells Roger that his friends are coming over, he has Miss West help him to arrange the room and remove all his Braille books so that he can fool them about his disability. Alan is uncharacteristically short and cold with Kitty and Gerald, but he nearly gets away with his plan anyway. While saying goodbye to Kitty, Gerald notices that Alan doesn't shake her hand not because of rudeness, but because of his blindness. Self sacrificing again, Gerald returns Kitty to the room where the unseeing Alan mistakes her for Miss West. She speaks, revealing who she is while rushing to embrace him whereupon she convinces him that their love is eternal, whether he likes it or not. Of course, he gladly accepts her this time.

***SPOILERS*** Super schmaltzy and high cholesterol movie has to do with a man Alan Trent, Fredric March,who in him fighting for democracy against the hated Germans in WWI losses his sight and ends up a POW and is treated by the now likable Germans back to good health minus his perfect 20/20 eyesight. That's due an exploded German artillery shell that hit his bunker on the Western Front that wiped out Trent's entire front line unit! It's when Trent checked out to a seaside hotel to spend his last night before being sent to the front lines with his beloved Kitty Vane, Merle Oberon, that he was spotted by a drunken uncle of hers Lawrence Bidley, Claud Allister, going up to his hotel room with a bottle of wine flowers and a box of Kentucky Fried Chicken. It's then that Lawrence suspected all those goodies was for another women and ended up shooting his big fat mouth off about it that had Trent's good friend Gerald Shannon, Herbert Marshall, get a whiff of it.

Feeling that Trent was cheating on Kitty Gerald as Trent's company commander refused to give him a three day pass to see and marry Kitty that resulted in him a few hours later almost getting blown to pieces by a German artillery shell. Now back home and totally blind Trent changes his name to Roger Crane and becomes almost overnight a famous writer of children stories with everyone including Kitty thinking that he was in fact killed in action on the Western Front. It's when Gerald finds out who Crane really is-Alan Trent-he attempts to get him and Kitty back together again. Only to find out that Trent suffering from both blindness and post turmeric shock is less then willing to go along with his plans.

***SPOILERS*** Heart lifting five handkerchief final with Trent doing everything to make Kitty believe that he can in fact see falls flat on his face in sadly showing her that he can't. Trent misunderstood that Kitty loved him no matter what condition he was in and his losing his sight made no difference to her. All this time Trent acted like a fool in avoiding Kitty but now he "sees" just what a fool he was in doing that. As for Gerald he also realized just what a jerk he was in denying Trent a three day pass in thinking he cheated on Kitty which as it turned out he didn't.

Copyright 5 September 1935 by United Artists Corp. Presented by Samuel Goldwyn. New York opening at the Rivoli, 5 September 1935. U.K. release: September 1935. Australian release: 29 January 1936. 11 reels. 105 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Kitty Vane loves Alan Trent, but he is reportedly killed in the war. Actually, he is only blinded, but not wanting to be a burden to Kitty . . .

NOTES: Academy Award, Richard Day, Art Direction (defeating Lives of a Bengal Lancer and Top Hat). Also nominated for Best Actress, Merle Oberon (defeated by Bette Davis for Dangerous), and Sound Recording (Naughty Marietta won).

Re-make of the 1925 movie directed by George Fitzmaurice, staring Ronald Colman and Vilma Banky.

COMMENT: Directed by Sidney Franklin with all the attendant technical skills and production largess at Goldwyn's command — as well as his own native genius — this is a superior weepie. Franklin keeps the narrative moving briskly until the second half where it unavoidably slows down. The scriptwriters run out of cinematic devices and rely more strongly on the dialogue and dramatic momentum of the original stage play. This retards the pace to the point where we become conscious of that familiar "photographed stage play" ennui. But the climax is strong and, fortunately, Toland's photography is always most attractive. (A pity we can't say the same for Omar Kiam's H-line costumes for Miss Oberon).

The acting of Fredric March, Merle Oberon, Herbert Marshall and the entire cast is — despite the handicaps of the script — thoroughly convincing and sympathetic. Miss Oberon deserved her Academy Award nomination. March is excellent too — and in some ways his role required greater technical expertise and skill.

OTHER VIEWS: I cannot for the life of me puzzle out how Day was even nominated, let alone emerge the winner. The sets are very ordinary and were undoubtedly inspired by the original stage settings. Toland's lighting (especially in the dug-out scene) occasionally makes the sets look attractive, but even with this impetus they cannot compare with "Lives of a Bengal Lancer". I can understand the nomination for sound recording. The track is not only crystal clear, but especially rich in its mixture of dialogue and music.

Newman deserved a nomination for scoring but didn't get one. Nor did Toland — yet he is the one who makes Oberon look so appealing, despite her unattractive costumes. As for her acting, it is forced and artificial.

After a slow start with some awful kids (Franklin's direction of all the children in the film is embarrassingly amateurish), the pace improves out of sight in some sharply edited middle sections (in which slow dissolves are cleverly and effectively employed). Lillian Hellman's contribution is plain in some of the astringent dialogue, particularly a scene in which a blinded soldier (Douglas Walton) ridicules a visiting preacher. John Halliday's scenes, alas, are few in number and are confined to the slow end section of the film.

This was the film that helped boost Merle Oberon's career to new heights. She received her only Oscar nod for portraying Kitty Vane, the childhood sweetheart of Allen (Fredric March). The two plan to be married before the onset of WWI but are unable to because Allen is redeployed. So, as fate has it tragedy ensues and she ends up marrying Allen's brother George (Herbert Marshall). I'm not giving away the rest of the film. Great film score by Albert Neumann and a wonderful production from Samuel Goldwyn compliment the three leads. The film was reportedly a major success in 1935. For those interested it was previously filmed in 1925 with Ronald Colman and Vilma Banky in the March and Oberon roles, respectively. The film also stars Frieda Inescort.