Arrowsmith (1931)
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86% of critics liked it
(7 reviews) -
39% of users liked it
(273 ratings)
One of the more prestigious films of its time, John Ford's film adaptation of Sinclair Lewis' Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has a sleek Art Deco look strangely out of tune with its tale of moral struggle. Ronald Colman stars as Martin Arrowsmith, an idealistic young doctor, who, after… More One of the more prestigious films of its time, John Ford's film adaptation of Sinclair Lewis' Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has a sleek Art Deco look strangely out of tune with its tale of moral struggle. Ronald Colman stars as Martin Arrowsmith, an idealistic young doctor, who, after graduating from medical school, must forego a research position with Dr. Max Gottlieb (A.E. Anson) due to his marriage to nurse Leora Tozer (Helen Hayes). He returns to her rural hometown and establishes a small practice, and in his spare time eventually develops a serum for a deadly cow disease. Based on this work he is able to return to work under Dr. Gottlieb. When Dr. Gustav Sondelius (Richard Bennett), a friend of the researchers, informs them about a plague devouring the West Indies, Arrowsmith decides to travel to the area to test whether the serum he's working on might be effective in combatting it. The white citizens of the area refuse to allow themselves to be the subjects of an experiment, but black Harvard-educated Dr. Oliver Marchand (Clarence Brooks) persuades the island's native population to go along with Arrowsmith's plan. ~ Michael Costello, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Ford
- Written By
- Sidney Howard, Sinclair Lewis
- Genres
- Drama, Classics
- In Theaters
- Dec 7, 1931 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Emotionally gratifying, it dramatically only crawls along with so many actionless scenes.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
One of John Ford's in-depth probes of the doctor's role in society, Arrowsmith was based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis who refused the 1926 Pulitzer because of the prize's alleged advocacy of work that endorsed "the wholesome American life."
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Many shots show an early awareness of mood and expression, using heavy shadows and diagonal shapes to establish visual conflicts.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...the film's episodic structure ensures that it rarely becomes boring - though the story does lose some momentum towards the end...
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Brilliant, too little seen John Ford film of the Sinclair Lewis novel.
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Cast
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Ronald Colman
as Dr. Martin Arrowsmith
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Helen Hayes
as Leora Arrowsmith
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Richard Bennett
as Sondelius
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A.E. Anson
as Prof. Gottlieb
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DeWitt Jennings
as Mr. Tozer
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Clarence Brooks
as Oliver Marchand
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Beulah Bondi
as Mrs. Tozer
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Myrna Loy
as Joyce Lanyon
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Bert Roach
as Bert Tozer
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John Qualen
as Henry Novak
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David Landau
as Clerk
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Claude King
as Dr. Tubbs
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Russell Hopton
as Terry Wickett
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Alec B. Francis
as Doctor
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Florence Britton
as Miss Twyford
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Lumsden Hare
as Sir Robert Fairland
- Erville Alderson
- Sidney de Grey
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Walter Downing
as City Clerk
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Raymond Hatton
as Bit
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Charlotte Henry
as Pioneer Girl
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Adele Watson
as Mrs. Novak
- Bobby Watson
- James Marcus