Hollywoods Nurse Edith Cavell
Posted: November 12th, 2011, 6:50 am
Spoiler Alert
With Rememberence Sunday in the UK looming I decided as a tribute to those who died and were wounded in war to watch Nurse Edith Cavell. It's on you tube in full, but for some reason is regarded unsuitable for anyone under age.
I was surprised to discover the film was made in Hollywood, given the star of the film is British actress Anna Neagle and her husband Herbert Wilcox the director. I've always found it astonishing that Anna Neagle is not better known in America, given her stature in the 30s and 40s within the British Film Industry. Though having watched Nurse Edith Cavell, I can see how it was made in Hollywood, because Anna has an impressive American supporting cast under her. Edith Cavell ran a nursing home in Belgium in 1914/15, while hiding potential prisoner of war in her cellar, because she knew the German's would have them shot. 2 of her helpers were Edna May Oliver as a Contess and Zasu Pitts. George Sanders played the German Officer out to get her and Henry Brandon was his undercover agent posing as a Frenchman hiding in her cellar. H. B Warner played an American diplomat, frantically trying to save her life after he finds out Edith's under a sentence of death, but it turns out to be a futile gesture, as she's killed by a firing squad almost with warning. Funilly enough both Edna May Oliver and Zasu Pitt's characters survive the war.
One of the rare amusing scenes in the film is when Neagle, May Oliver and Pitts are, sitting, planning the escape of the prisoners back to Allied lines, while Zasu is doing her knitting.
I don't think it was Anna's best performance, but I think there's a reason for that. She played Edith with a British stiff upper lip almost right through the film. She did wilt a little after Sanders warned her anyone caught hiding prisoners would feel the full force of German law. Then when informed of her execution by Sanders her mouth quivered a little. Thereby, if not her best performance, it's still an inspiring one
With Rememberence Sunday in the UK looming I decided as a tribute to those who died and were wounded in war to watch Nurse Edith Cavell. It's on you tube in full, but for some reason is regarded unsuitable for anyone under age.
I was surprised to discover the film was made in Hollywood, given the star of the film is British actress Anna Neagle and her husband Herbert Wilcox the director. I've always found it astonishing that Anna Neagle is not better known in America, given her stature in the 30s and 40s within the British Film Industry. Though having watched Nurse Edith Cavell, I can see how it was made in Hollywood, because Anna has an impressive American supporting cast under her. Edith Cavell ran a nursing home in Belgium in 1914/15, while hiding potential prisoner of war in her cellar, because she knew the German's would have them shot. 2 of her helpers were Edna May Oliver as a Contess and Zasu Pitts. George Sanders played the German Officer out to get her and Henry Brandon was his undercover agent posing as a Frenchman hiding in her cellar. H. B Warner played an American diplomat, frantically trying to save her life after he finds out Edith's under a sentence of death, but it turns out to be a futile gesture, as she's killed by a firing squad almost with warning. Funilly enough both Edna May Oliver and Zasu Pitt's characters survive the war.
One of the rare amusing scenes in the film is when Neagle, May Oliver and Pitts are, sitting, planning the escape of the prisoners back to Allied lines, while Zasu is doing her knitting.
I don't think it was Anna's best performance, but I think there's a reason for that. She played Edith with a British stiff upper lip almost right through the film. She did wilt a little after Sanders warned her anyone caught hiding prisoners would feel the full force of German law. Then when informed of her execution by Sanders her mouth quivered a little. Thereby, if not her best performance, it's still an inspiring one