White Banners is part of the social-consciousness repertory of Warner Brothers during the Golden Era. Though Hal Erikson of the Movie Guide calls it forgettable, there's nothing forgettable about this film. It has interesting, attractive characters, a semi-documentary about an inventor who came up with one of the first iceless refrigerators, a multi-level plot and an inspirational theme. It's a kind of Methodist, Power of Positive Thinking message, which at times gets pretty preachy. But if you don't let a dated dramatic style get in the way, especially Claude Rains's toothy emoting, you'd have to be a pretty churlish prig not to be moved.
I suppose hack reviewers find safety in numbers, so the hack consensus for White Banners is thumbs down. But true movie lovers will find White Banners a refreshing evocation of an un-deconstructed age, when guileless, inspirational movies were welcomed by audiences who didn't think they were too clever for a bit of gentle sermonizing about doing the right thing. And it doesn't have a neat Hollywood ending either.
I suppose hack reviewers find safety in numbers, so the hack consensus for White Banners is thumbs down. But true movie lovers will find White Banners a refreshing evocation of an un-deconstructed age, when guileless, inspirational movies were welcomed by audiences who didn't think they were too clever for a bit of gentle sermonizing about doing the right thing. And it doesn't have a neat Hollywood ending either.