Arrowsmith

Arrowsmith (1931)

  • 83% of critics liked it
    (6 reviews)

  • 33% of users liked it
    (262 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 graduating from… More

Unrated, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By
John Ford
Written By
Sidney Howard
Genres
Drama, Classics
In Theaters
Dec 7, 1931 Wide
On DVD
Mar 8, 2005

Critic Reviews

  • Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    Emotionally gratifying, it dramatically only crawls along with so many actionless scenes.

  • 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."

  • 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...

  • Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

    Brilliant, too little seen John Ford film of the Sinclair Lewis novel.

  • Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

    One of those prestige pics from decades past that make you wonder exactly what all the fuss was about.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • jay n


    Ronald Colman is fine in this antique but the film itself is all over the place.

  • AJ V


    A dull and melodramatic look at the life of a doctor.

  • Anthony V


    Colman is as charismatic as ever, but does have some choppy editing.

Cast

See full cast