Women from various backgrounds volunteer as nurses in France at the outbreak of World War I.Women from various backgrounds volunteer as nurses in France at the outbreak of World War I.Women from various backgrounds volunteer as nurses in France at the outbreak of World War I.
- Frank
- (as Edward Nugent)
- French Surgeon
- (uncredited)
- Frank and Wally's Buddy
- (uncredited)
- Nurse in VA Hospital
- (uncredited)
- Wounded French Soldier
- (uncredited)
- French Medical Officer
- (uncredited)
- French Chanteuse
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaLoretta Young was replaced by Anita Page midway through filming, which led to her scenes being deleted and re-shot. Young can briefly be seen in a long shot.
- GoofsSet during World War I (1914 - 1918), at about 30 minutes into the movie, there is a scene where Robert Montgomery lands his plane and approaches some fellow pilots who are talking nearby. As they talk, contemporary 1920s vehicles can be seen passing on a distant road (at the upper left of the screen, over Robert Montgomery's shoulder).
- Quotes
Cushie: Funny the way the men have changed. They used to talk about what they'd do when the war was over and things like that.
Rosalie: Yeah, now all they talk about is women.
Babs: Yes, women. It seems to be the only thing the men are interested in. Why even the youngsters are so afraid they'll die before they've ever lived.
Joy: Well, it makes me awfully nervous the way they always want to look at you and touch you. Why, even the doctors are getting so...
Cushie: Well, even the doctors are human, I suppose.
- ConnectionsReferences Three Weeks (1914)
- SoundtracksWhen I Saw Sweet Nelly Home
(1859) (uncredited)
Music and Lyric by John Fletcher
Sung a cappella by Robert Ames and Anita Page
If you're a shallow voyeur who watched this just to see Anita Page bouncing around in her undies you'll feel very guilty and a little soiled because this is proper film. It's a hard hitting condemnation of war. It's a life affirming story of how amazing the human spirit is.
Veteran director Edgar Selwyn wasn't one of those experimental filmmakers pushing boundaries in the late twenties but neither was he one to make those appalling stodgy static filmed stage play types of thing. By focusing on how it affects real people, Selwyn evokes the never ending relentless horror and despair of war by making it personal.
It's based on a notorious anonymously written autobiography of an actual war nurse which caused quite a scandal with its no holds barred revelations of what life was like for those young amazing heroines. Although this was made in 'the pre-code era' the saucy story was heavily censored and sanitised - in terms of any sexual shenanigans anyway. The true mental and physical brutality of conflict however was left undiluted.
Like all the best stories this tells its tale through the eyes and experiences of real people. The acting style is a bit more 1920s than 1930s but once you acclimatise, the characters do feel authentic, like real people. It's a story about how war doesn't just change people but society. These volunteer girls, hundreds and in the case of the Americans, thousands of miles from home, like the men there, realise that have to live as though each day might be their last. Consequences and convention have no role in a world without a future. The only way to survive was to pretend it's just a nightmare and live in a sphere of self deception.
Overall it's a clever and engaging fast-moving film. It's professionally made and a lot more entertaining than you might imagine... and if you're still wondering, yes Anita Page does bounce around in her undies!
- 1930s_Time_Machine
- Jun 27, 2024
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Enfermeras de guerra
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 21 minutes
- Color