Arrowsmith - 1931 - DVD

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Arrowsmith is a cross between a Western, Sci-Fi, Horror, maybe a little bit of Gangster, and has some Noir elements, too. Outside of a few fast-panning and soft-focus shots, perhaps precursors to the intro shot of John Wayne in Stagecoach (1939), and, of course, the credit sequence, you would have no idea the film was directed by John Ford. Meaning, it has none of that John Ford grit. No characters are dirty or angry, or have an attitude problem that goes beyond superficial. Some scenes of dialogue are funny, but most don't mean to be. The film is limp. And that is sad, especially for us Ford fans.

But I'm going to let this one slide. Let's look at the facts: it's 1931 when this film was made, that's just the start of Ford's career; he's still learning his trade, and he has not met John Wayne either. If you ask me, it's Wayne who consistently makes Ford's films as notable as they are, though he is certainly not the only factor. Ford's exquisite technique and his intrigue with the history and mythology of the American frontier are primary considerations for his many perfect films as well.

Arrowsmith is based on a Sinclair Lewis novel, was adapted for the screen by Sidney Howard, who was later nominated for Best Screenplay at the 1932 Oscar's. There were three other nominations, as well, Ray June for Cinematography, Richard Day for Art Direction, and overall for Best Picture. The film ended up walking away from the awards empty handed, but it was clearly popular at the time.

The story follows Martin Arrowsmith (Ronald Coleman), a young-blood doctor and chemist who spends equal amounts of time studying and creating vaccinations for diseased cattle, and falling in love with his girlfriend, and later wife, Leora (Helen Hayes). A anecdotal observation: she looks a lot like Claudette Colbert, and he similar to Clark Gable--those two teamed up for Frank Capra's It Happened One Night (1934), a fantastic movie in contrast. This resemblance was the second thing I noticed about the film. The first was the credit sequence, which takes place in a laboratory with bottles and test tubes filled with bubbling liquids. Credit names disappear in a mimic of the liquids reducing in the beakers. It has a sterile comic mood to it, and seemed, for instance, more appropriate for a film like Hawks' Monkey Business (1952) (that's actually what popped into my head as I was watching).

Ensuing comes the mesh of elements from the above mentioned genres: there's a panorama of an outdoor landscape, a horse-drawn carriage rips across the road (Western iconography); and there is the name “Arrowsmith” itself, a name that draws up images of the West and dusty battles of cowboys and Indians. There are city street scenes: a car squeals to the side of the road, kids are hanging on the street (Gangster icons); then there is the garland of beakers and test tubes in a lab where the sleepless scientist puts in inhuman hours of research (elements of Sci-Fi); and the strangest part yet is the horror element. As the story progresses, Arrowsmith earns credibility as a scientist and doctor, and he is called to the West Indies to curb an outbreak of the Bubonic plague. (Really? The Black Death in 1931?) He and his team of scientists tear through the contaminated village tearing down and burning structures, a mob scene that bears resemblance to those of King Kong (1931); the people scatter as if a monster is waiting to attack beyond the walls of their village, the plague being the monster in this case, illustrated by rats shone with an overexposed white light (or is it the negative of the film stock?). Then there are scenes decorated with a hint of Noir. Shadows of Venetian blinds strike against the wall, and a very sultry Myrna Loy clad in dark eye shadow and a slinky dress waltzes through the jungle as the femme fatale.

In an early part of the film Ward Bond is spotted, a John Ford regular in later films like Fort Apache (1948), The Searchers (1956) and others. He is not listed in the credits, but you can clearly see him in a scene playing a police officer; he stands outside a door where a baby is being born, he smiles big when he hears it cry; his hair is much less gray than later films recall.


Next up on the Ford screening list: Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), with Claudette Colbert, and another Ford-acting regular, Henry Fonda. My expectations are high. I don’t expect to be disappointed.