Pretty draggy screen version of Sinclair Lewis's sensational novel about a small-town doctor who must navigate the murky place between contributing to scientific truth and helping people get better.
Ronald Colman plays Arrowsmith as well as he can, though his dandified diction and general European air were at odds with my image of the character. The film feels truncated and half baked, not surprising since it condenses a meaty novel into about 100 minutes.
"Arrowsmith" was nominated for four Oscars in the 1931-32 award year, and actually tied with "The Champ" for the most nominated film of the year (can you believe there was a time when the most nominated film would only have 4 nominations?). But it lost all of them, and honestly it didn't really deserve to win any of them. The only one I might be able to argue for is Richard Day's art direction, which takes the story from small midwestern farm houses to the tropics of the West Indies. Its other three nominations included Best Picture (in a year that saw eight nominees in this category), Best Writing (Adaptation), and Best Cinematography.
John Ford, who directed, shows none of the style and stateliness he would bring to his later career.
Grade: B-
Ronald Colman plays Arrowsmith as well as he can, though his dandified diction and general European air were at odds with my image of the character. The film feels truncated and half baked, not surprising since it condenses a meaty novel into about 100 minutes.
"Arrowsmith" was nominated for four Oscars in the 1931-32 award year, and actually tied with "The Champ" for the most nominated film of the year (can you believe there was a time when the most nominated film would only have 4 nominations?). But it lost all of them, and honestly it didn't really deserve to win any of them. The only one I might be able to argue for is Richard Day's art direction, which takes the story from small midwestern farm houses to the tropics of the West Indies. Its other three nominations included Best Picture (in a year that saw eight nominees in this category), Best Writing (Adaptation), and Best Cinematography.
John Ford, who directed, shows none of the style and stateliness he would bring to his later career.
Grade: B-