Fine movie for what it is but 'what it is' won't be to everyone's tastes. Leonard Maltin's Film Guide calls it an adventure story but that's not really accurate. There's very little action in this film. This is a melodrama, a soaper even, as evidenced by the fact it stars Kay Francis. She was one of the queens of the melodrama in the '30s, often torn between two men as she is here. The plot is trite. Francis plays a woman who lost her pilot fiancé in an accident. She meets honorable and all-around-swell-guy Ian Hunter, who quickly falls in love with her and proposes. She marries him despite not being in love with him. Later she meets hotshot pilot Errol Flynn and, well, you can figure the rest. For his part, Flynn is as charming as ever and has good chemistry with Francis. The highlight of the film is the Erich Korngold score, which makes things seem more exciting than they ever really are. A nice production, great actors, and a beautiful score are nothing to dismiss. Still, how much you enjoy this will depend on how much you enjoy romantic melodramas from the 1930s, where everyone stares off at some point and recites a soliloquy like they're in a stage play.
26 Reviews
Fun to watch to be transported to another era.
oldlady725 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I agree with comment #2. It is a story and film from another era and, as such, it was great to have on while I sewed and did wifely work! The people were gorgeous to look at, Kay Francis was excellent, and the idea that people could restrain their emotions and behave like "grown ups" was pleasant. There were a lot of things unsaid and that added to the overall story as the viewer could fill in from their own life experiences. It also means that a child watching it would not get all of the underlying meanings. And that's a good thing. Almost everyone in the cast is a familiar face if you watch old movies. Watch it when it is on and see what they meant when they said "it's a woman's picture."
Good but not great film; it was successful at the box office
vincentlynch-moonoi15 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I quite disagree with the comments of several reviewers here. It's not that this is a great movie. It's not. But it is a good movie, particularly when seen from a perspective of the time.
This is not prime Errol Flynn, but after all, it was filmed when he was still quite new to starring roles. So this is an opportunity to see the early Errol Flynn, and I think he does rather nicely.
Kay Franics had been Warner Brother's biggest star, but regrettably they handed her a number of projects that were just plain stale. A year after this film she was labeled box office poison, but not due to this film. Here, she proved once again what an appealing actress she was when she had a good script.
The third "star" of the film was the story. This was another of the the sun never sets on the British Empire films that were so often popular (after all, Flynn had starred in "The Charge of the Light Brigade" just a year earlier). Those films don't set quite so well in our era, but at the time, this was a box office success.
Three supporting actors are worth mentioning here. As time goes by, I am more and more impressed by Ian Hunter, who here plays Flynn's commanding officer. I don't think I'm familiar with Frieda Inescort, but as Hunter's sister here she is quite good. And Herbert Mundin...not that impressive, but her quite likable and one feels sympathetic toward his plight.
As I said, it's not a great film, but it is a good film. You could do lots worse.
This is not prime Errol Flynn, but after all, it was filmed when he was still quite new to starring roles. So this is an opportunity to see the early Errol Flynn, and I think he does rather nicely.
Kay Franics had been Warner Brother's biggest star, but regrettably they handed her a number of projects that were just plain stale. A year after this film she was labeled box office poison, but not due to this film. Here, she proved once again what an appealing actress she was when she had a good script.
The third "star" of the film was the story. This was another of the the sun never sets on the British Empire films that were so often popular (after all, Flynn had starred in "The Charge of the Light Brigade" just a year earlier). Those films don't set quite so well in our era, but at the time, this was a box office success.
Three supporting actors are worth mentioning here. As time goes by, I am more and more impressed by Ian Hunter, who here plays Flynn's commanding officer. I don't think I'm familiar with Frieda Inescort, but as Hunter's sister here she is quite good. And Herbert Mundin...not that impressive, but her quite likable and one feels sympathetic toward his plight.
As I said, it's not a great film, but it is a good film. You could do lots worse.
Those thrilling days of yesteryear
jaykay-1022 June 2001
On the positive side, the makers of this film did leave over a few cliches for someone else. And it is entirely possible that when this picture was made the story elements had been used only dozens, rather than hundreds, of times before. But while numerous movies more than fifty years old have held up very well, this is one that has become an unintentional parody of itself.
The romantic femme fatale, mourning a lost love of her youth, and convinced she can never love again; the dashing, devil-may-care adventurer, certain that no one female could ever hold him; the middle-aged paragon of duty, service and principle, asking only to be allowed to worship that desirable woman, expecting not love, but merely loyalty, in return; the coward scorned by his mates, living for nothing but a chance to redeem himself. And much more, including British colonials, devious Arab chieftains, the burning desert, a suicide mission, memorable dying words, and of course, a young, spectacularly handsome Errol Flynn.
They don't make them like this anymore.
The romantic femme fatale, mourning a lost love of her youth, and convinced she can never love again; the dashing, devil-may-care adventurer, certain that no one female could ever hold him; the middle-aged paragon of duty, service and principle, asking only to be allowed to worship that desirable woman, expecting not love, but merely loyalty, in return; the coward scorned by his mates, living for nothing but a chance to redeem himself. And much more, including British colonials, devious Arab chieftains, the burning desert, a suicide mission, memorable dying words, and of course, a young, spectacularly handsome Errol Flynn.
They don't make them like this anymore.
"Never let your life live from one dawn to another."
classicsoncall20 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I had the greatest trouble with two quotes from the film, the first one in my summary line above, and the other - "The hopes we have for tomorrow die today". I can't make any sense out of the first, and the second is one of the most pessimistic and depressing statements I've ever heard. The latter was actually stated twice in the story, the second time when Julia Ashton summarized her feelings on what would have been an ill fated affair with Captain Roark (Errol Flynn). Instead, the ill fate befalls Julia's husband John Wister (Ian Hunter) in a self imposed suicide mission into a desert region of the Sahara. For his part, Colonel Wister comes across as a model of nobility in stepping aside for his second officer, but it's a safe bet you won't run across somebody like him in real life any time soon.
Back to that first quote - I'm still thinking about it, but nothing's coming to me. I'm sure it was a way of making a connection with the title of the movie, but it comes across as awkward at best. Maybe I heard it incorrectly, so any help would be appreciated.
You know, I had a thought about this film I never considered before for a black and white move - I think I would have preferred to see it in color for it's exotic locations, military dress and Miss Francis' fashionable gowns by Orry-Kelly. That might have done a better job of distracting me from the troublesome dialog.
Back to that first quote - I'm still thinking about it, but nothing's coming to me. I'm sure it was a way of making a connection with the title of the movie, but it comes across as awkward at best. Maybe I heard it incorrectly, so any help would be appreciated.
You know, I had a thought about this film I never considered before for a black and white move - I think I would have preferred to see it in color for it's exotic locations, military dress and Miss Francis' fashionable gowns by Orry-Kelly. That might have done a better job of distracting me from the troublesome dialog.
Real insight into the workings of the British military . . .
oscaralbert13 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
. . . which are radically different than the American martial marital customs. In ANOTHER DAWN, the screenwriters explore what happens when a Captain gives up his pastime of playing solitaire in favor of regular coitus with his commanding officer's wife. Most every time such a thing comes up on an American military base, the junior officer is defrocked of his command, serves a lengthy sentence in a federal penitentiary, gets dishonorably discharged, and loses whatever government pension he's accrued. That's why it's Standard Operating Procedure for the American Brass to keep it zipped, except when they visit Officers-and-Gentlemen's Clubs. As ANOTHER DAWN illustrates, the British response to this exact same triangular equation is the polar opposite to the U.S. military's. The Brit cuckolded commanding officer feels duty-bound to immediately assign himself to a suicide mission, especially if it's one for which he's ill-suited. It's his corpse that counts, as the Primary Objective here is to clear a glide path for the top commander's wayward wife to be able to enjoy her future jollies with less guilt and apprehension. This is why her upper lip is always so stiff at her husband's funeral.
Well done, though a tad "sticky"
planktonrules27 August 2007
This is not the sort of movie you'd think it would be, as the film is set abroad and is about a British outpost. Considering this AND that the film stars Errol Flynn, you would expect that it would be an adventure film like LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER or CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE--and if so, you'd be wrong. The film is purely a romantic melodrama about a woman (Kay Francis) who marries a man he likes and respects (Ian Hunter) but eventually falls in love with suave and romantic Errol Flynn (and, in 1937, who WOULDN'T have fallen for Errol?!). The problem is exacerbated because Francis genuinely loves Hunter as a friend and Errol is loyal to Hunter because he's his commanding officer, but their glands won't be satisfied until they break the awful news to nice-guy Hunter. This is, overall, a very sappy and sticky movie. Some will no doubt like it, but the ardent and more "wussified" Flynn isn't as satisfying a character as he played in most of his other films. And, the plot itself seems very old fashioned and...well...silly. Not a bad film, but certainly a lesser film and one that is mostly of interest to those who want to see every film Flynn made--even the weaker ones.
these people were lucky they got to make another movie
blanche-224 January 2006
Well, I didn't have as violent a response as the first post I read, but "Another Dawn" is from another era and didn't survive it, trust me. It's all pip-pip, jolly good, and honor is all in this dated film starring the handsome Errol Flynn and the lovely Kay Francis. She's a widow who marries Flynn's commander, though she still mourns her late husband. When she meets Flynn, guess what, she finds she can love again. Yeah, like who couldn't. They're both too honorable to do much about it, though.
Most of the film takes place post-World War I in a Sahara outpost so there is lots of sand and some battles. Flynn is subdued in this, and Francis is radiant. Some of the dialogue is actually quite poetic - probably because they're quoting poems - and if it were in, say, The Rains Came, it would have worked very well - but it only adds to the melodrama in this film.
Films such as "Another Dawn" are interesting as artifacts of a lost time when, I suppose, people had stronger values and lived for the greater good. When it's a stronger script and production, of course, these marvelous qualities are worth revisiting, admiring, and feeling guilty about. Alas, however, nobility is not well served by "Another Dawn."
Most of the film takes place post-World War I in a Sahara outpost so there is lots of sand and some battles. Flynn is subdued in this, and Francis is radiant. Some of the dialogue is actually quite poetic - probably because they're quoting poems - and if it were in, say, The Rains Came, it would have worked very well - but it only adds to the melodrama in this film.
Films such as "Another Dawn" are interesting as artifacts of a lost time when, I suppose, people had stronger values and lived for the greater good. When it's a stronger script and production, of course, these marvelous qualities are worth revisiting, admiring, and feeling guilty about. Alas, however, nobility is not well served by "Another Dawn."
Wonderful, Predictable, Hollywood "Sahara" Romance
sobaok27 November 2001
To see a lovely Kay Francis and a beautiful Errol Flynn share the pangs of romance in the dreamy sunsets of the Sahara is what this movie is all about. A great score by Erich Korngold whisks us along through their complex affair, romantic interludes and Flynn's courageous fight with the Arabs. The charms of the film have a faded edge, but I find this gives it a nostalgic appeal. Francis is wonderful to watch -- she's wistful, stylizes her performance with her usual grace, very appealingly. Flynn is a real handsome figure and gives an earnest performance, showing the conflicts of romancing is best friend and superior officer's wife. This is a pure movie movie -- to be watched for pleasure and the smile of nostalgia.
Illicit romance among the sands. How long before the hourglass empties?
mark.waltz5 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
A seeming marriage of convenience provides companionship for the lovely widow Kay Francis and foreign legion officer Ian Hunter, but when Hunter's dashing friend Errol Flynn comes along, it's only a matter of time before sparks fly. The threat of war seems to create constant danger, but Francis, always impeccably dressed, finds time for polite chit-chat with her husband and romance with the dashing Flynn. With a script of poetic mutterings by Flynn, how could she not? But for Flynn's sister, the noble Frieda Inescort, having been in love with Hunter for years, realizing what's going on is a crisis for her conscience, and for these four beautiful noble people, it must be as heart-wrenching for them as it is dull for much of the audience.
With no key villain involved in this triangle (pretty much a sexless one), there's little sizzle between the leads and that causes this oh so nice romantic soap opera to suffer from slow pacing and unrealistic situations. The four stars are all fine, but outside of the intrigue concerning their mission, Hunter and Flynn are dull and lifeless. Flynn sounds silly with much of his lines, and when Hunter has to become commanding, he's unconvincing.
That's not the case for the two ladies, putting glamour and feminine charm in what was essentially a man's film. The generic title just seems to lay there with no purpose. Herbert Mundin provides a bit of comedy and Ben Welden is amusing as a wealthy Russian letch who makes a play for Francis, prompting a great reply from her which indicates bluntly, "No dice". I had hoped for more heat between Kay and Errol, but that is lacking. The over nobility of the major characters leads to a ridiculously clichéd finale that even after multiple viewings had me rolling my eyes. As a huge Kay Francis fan, I would watch this over and over, but as a film historian, call it a second rate finale to her A list years at Warner Brothers. She scored the same year with "Confession", and to a lesser degree with "First Lady", but in spite the use of the title in the film's last scene, it's just average.
With no key villain involved in this triangle (pretty much a sexless one), there's little sizzle between the leads and that causes this oh so nice romantic soap opera to suffer from slow pacing and unrealistic situations. The four stars are all fine, but outside of the intrigue concerning their mission, Hunter and Flynn are dull and lifeless. Flynn sounds silly with much of his lines, and when Hunter has to become commanding, he's unconvincing.
That's not the case for the two ladies, putting glamour and feminine charm in what was essentially a man's film. The generic title just seems to lay there with no purpose. Herbert Mundin provides a bit of comedy and Ben Welden is amusing as a wealthy Russian letch who makes a play for Francis, prompting a great reply from her which indicates bluntly, "No dice". I had hoped for more heat between Kay and Errol, but that is lacking. The over nobility of the major characters leads to a ridiculously clichéd finale that even after multiple viewings had me rolling my eyes. As a huge Kay Francis fan, I would watch this over and over, but as a film historian, call it a second rate finale to her A list years at Warner Brothers. She scored the same year with "Confession", and to a lesser degree with "First Lady", but in spite the use of the title in the film's last scene, it's just average.
Desert Triangle
GManfred16 January 2018
While on leave from his desert post somewhere in The Empire, Col. Wister (Ian Hunter) meets an American widow (Kay Francis), falls in love and marries her. He brings her back to his desert outpost, which has been overseen in his absence by Capt. Roark (Errol Flynn). She takes one look at Flynn, and you can probably write the rest. And Col. Wister is a noble, stiff-upper-lip representation of the British Lion (they're good sports).
There is no new ground broken in "Another Dawn", it's all been done before. The 3 principals acquit themselves very well and add some polish to a familiar theme. The picture is held together by Hunter and Francis, with Flynn tagging along as eye candy. Good but not spectacularly so, it is a harmless way to pass 75 minutes.
****** 6 of 10
There is no new ground broken in "Another Dawn", it's all been done before. The 3 principals acquit themselves very well and add some polish to a familiar theme. The picture is held together by Hunter and Francis, with Flynn tagging along as eye candy. Good but not spectacularly so, it is a harmless way to pass 75 minutes.
****** 6 of 10
A bit outdated
drjgardner17 January 2016
The problem with this film is that it is based on a 1919 play from Somerset Maugham and has many of the sentiments of that period. Translated on the screen 20 years later it's a bit stodgy, and viewed many decades later, it seems very dated.
The other problem is that the film stars Errol Flynn but it's not an action film. Flynn was a great action actor, but with some few exceptions, all of them later in life, his best work was in action films.
The music from Erich Wolfgang Korngold is marvelous, and his work later with Flynn on "Robin Hood" would be one of the best scores ever.
If you're a Flynn fan you probably want to see this film, but otherwise it doesn't have much to recommend it.
The other problem is that the film stars Errol Flynn but it's not an action film. Flynn was a great action actor, but with some few exceptions, all of them later in life, his best work was in action films.
The music from Erich Wolfgang Korngold is marvelous, and his work later with Flynn on "Robin Hood" would be one of the best scores ever.
If you're a Flynn fan you probably want to see this film, but otherwise it doesn't have much to recommend it.
Far too predictable
HotToastyRag9 June 2020
In the grand tradition of very obvious war dramas, Another Dawn leaves the audience cold and bored. Kay Francis stars as a beautiful widow who vows to never love again. Ian Hunter falls in love with her and they get married on the principle of friendship, rather than love. Of course, as soon as they return from their romance-less honeymoon, Ian introduces his new bride to his best friend and fellow soldier Errol Flynn. Even if it wasn't Errol Flynn in the cast, this wouldn't be a difficult movie to predict.
Kay and Errol, two wild actors in real life, managed not to show the audience any chemistry together, and I couldn't help but think it was because they knew the script was so corny and predictable. Maybe it was all they could do to keep from rolling their eyes on camera. As beautifully handsome as Errol Flynn is, he's not nearly as sympathetic as Ian Hunter's character. And as much as your heart goes out to Ian, even he isn't as sympathetic as Herbert Mundin's character. Herbert is continually bullied and ridiculed by his fellow soldiers, and since he didn't do anything to deserve the treatment, it's pretty sad to watch.
Unless you're a Kay Francis fan, which I'm not really, you don't have to watch this one. Check out The Dawn Patrol for a much better Errol Flynn war movie, or even The Charge of the Light Brigade.
Kay and Errol, two wild actors in real life, managed not to show the audience any chemistry together, and I couldn't help but think it was because they knew the script was so corny and predictable. Maybe it was all they could do to keep from rolling their eyes on camera. As beautifully handsome as Errol Flynn is, he's not nearly as sympathetic as Ian Hunter's character. And as much as your heart goes out to Ian, even he isn't as sympathetic as Herbert Mundin's character. Herbert is continually bullied and ridiculed by his fellow soldiers, and since he didn't do anything to deserve the treatment, it's pretty sad to watch.
Unless you're a Kay Francis fan, which I'm not really, you don't have to watch this one. Check out The Dawn Patrol for a much better Errol Flynn war movie, or even The Charge of the Light Brigade.
A hidden treasure love story
gshardaway19 April 2005
I watched this movie solely because Errol Flynn was in it. My all time favorite. However I was serendipitously introduced to Kay Francis, one of Hollywood's great female stars. She has since become one of my most adored actresses from a bygone era of great female actresses. Why movie land has not highlighted this movie and these two great film stars together is a mystery to me. Further, it would have been refreshing to see them together on other projects. This movie tugged at my heart as I watched it very late one night. My teenage children thought it was mushy. They were probably on target since they don't get a chance to see REAL acting like this, but rather a lot of sex scenes and nudity. To all E.F. or K.F. aficionado's, rent it, copy it, see it. You'll be glad you did.
Dickit?!?
schappe115 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
A tidbit on IMDB's 'Trivia' page says that for years, when there was a movie marquee in a Warner Brother's film, the film playing was called 'Another Dawn' so they finally decided to make a film called that. They also decided to get another film out of the impressive fort they'd built for "The Charge of the Light Brigade' and out of the now-forgotten Kay Francis, who said "I don't do much in it. Things just happen about me. I am just a wife who has been unfortunate in love, as usual." They also recycled part of the plot from 'Charge' by having Flynn heroically go on a suicide mission so Francis, with whom he is having a love affair, can stay with her husband, his commanding officer. But Flynn had become such a big star they changed their minds and had the Colonel, (played by Ian Hunter), go off in his stead, allowing Flynn and Francis to live happily ever after, assuming they don't fall for somebody else.
Other than that last-minute change, this is the most predictable movie of all time. From early on, you know exactly what is going to happen to each character and often in the next scene. Herbert Mundin ahs been branded a coward by his fellow soldiers. He heroically sacrifices his life to get them the ammunition they need to save their lives. Imagine that...
The film was clearly done on the cheap as the climactic sacrifice by the colonel is unrepresented except by a dispatch. Flynn is also shown dressing for a party that we hardly see. Contrast that to the scenes in the 'Charge'. Originally, the locale was supposed to be Iraq but here it's called, improbably "Dickit". The Colonel waxes poetic about the benign British empire" I see great wealth and an independent nation because England had faith in it". 'Classicsoncall' has pointed out that the poetic dialog doesn't bear close examination by fans of logic. There's some action but not a patch on 'Charge' or rest of Flynn's great films. The one laudable thing about the film is the excellent music by Korngold, who combined it with his score from 'The Prince and the Pauper' to create his marvelous piano concerto. But here the music is so go and the film so mediocre that the music overpowers the action rather than highlighting it or deepening the emotions it produces.
Other than that last-minute change, this is the most predictable movie of all time. From early on, you know exactly what is going to happen to each character and often in the next scene. Herbert Mundin ahs been branded a coward by his fellow soldiers. He heroically sacrifices his life to get them the ammunition they need to save their lives. Imagine that...
The film was clearly done on the cheap as the climactic sacrifice by the colonel is unrepresented except by a dispatch. Flynn is also shown dressing for a party that we hardly see. Contrast that to the scenes in the 'Charge'. Originally, the locale was supposed to be Iraq but here it's called, improbably "Dickit". The Colonel waxes poetic about the benign British empire" I see great wealth and an independent nation because England had faith in it". 'Classicsoncall' has pointed out that the poetic dialog doesn't bear close examination by fans of logic. There's some action but not a patch on 'Charge' or rest of Flynn's great films. The one laudable thing about the film is the excellent music by Korngold, who combined it with his score from 'The Prince and the Pauper' to create his marvelous piano concerto. But here the music is so go and the film so mediocre that the music overpowers the action rather than highlighting it or deepening the emotions it produces.
The sacrifice that comes from nobility.
Poseidon-325 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Fans of Flynn's swashbuckling sagas or western dust-ups may be disappointed to find him here in a rather talky, restrained melodrama in which he is off-screen for a startling amount of the run time. The story is really Francis'. She plays a forlorn American whose three-year love affair with a daring pilot was cut short when he died during a flight. She is wooed and uneasily won by British Colonel Hunter while he is on a trip away from his remote desert post. Upon arriving back there with his new bride (who has sworn she will never truly love again after suffering the loss of her previous mate), he is called upon to leave on a mission, leaving Francis to get to know his second-in-command Flynn. Not only is Flynn drop-dead handsome, but his laugh reminds Francis of her deceased love and soon the pair is flirting with the possibility of an affair. In order to salvage her marriage to Hunter, Francis recommends Flynn for the next dangerous assignment, but then frets over him the entire time. When a third mission comes about, the two men (who, by now, realize the position they are in with Francis) haggle about who will end up flying off into the sunset, and quite probably not returning. Francis (showing off some fancy Orry-Kelly gowns) is lovely and charming despite her sometimes dreary, drippy character. Flynn is beautiful and dapper, but gets little or no chance to show off the roguish, impish charm that made him a superstar. He and Francis do share one very romantic embrace in a garden and he also gets to engage in one rather minor action sequence, but it's a bit of a letdown to see him trudging through this story which is more a study of honor and self-sacrifice than a powerful love story. Hunter does a good job, but is understandably less captivating than Flynn. Inescort portrays Flynn's sister and doesn't have too awful much to do. Her oncoming MS can be noted in a telephone scene in which she holds her hand in an awkward position. It's an acceptable, well-appointed, but unspectacular film (that's also thankfully brief!) that's an okay time-killer, but not likely to be ranked very highly in the canon of its stars, especially Flynn's.
Early Flynn Bomb
boscofl27 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Another Dawn is a dated, turgid melodrama concerning unrequited love, honor, and self-sacrifice at a British army post located somewhere in the hostile Sahara desert. The film stars Kay Francis (on her way down from stardom) and Errol Flynn (on his way up) as the lovers thwarted by their sense of duty. They are abetted in their flagellant behavior by Ian Hunter and Fieda Inescort who have their own crosses to bear. The ridiculous mechanizations of the screenplay are aided considerably by some striking cinematography and a rousing score by newcomer Erich Wolfgang Korngold who would soon be on his way to cinema immortality.
The performances of the leads are a mixed bag and no one can overcome the poor script. Miss Francis looks stunning in her many costumes and does the best she can with the histrionics. She generates more chemistry with her unloved film husband, Ian Hunter, than with her supposed romantic interest, Errol Flynn. Flynn is surprisingly bad in this; he seems very uncomfortable with most everything he's required to do although no one ever looked better in a uniform. Luckily some of his most memorable roles were right around the corner. Perhaps the best performance comes from Herbert Mundin, the disgraced soldier who endures much misery from his mates for a prior act of cowardice. He begs for a chance at redemption and makes good.
Truly there is little to recommend this film other than to wonder how Kay Francis was ever a big star and witness an early performance by the legendary Errol Flynn in one of his most unheralded roles.
The performances of the leads are a mixed bag and no one can overcome the poor script. Miss Francis looks stunning in her many costumes and does the best she can with the histrionics. She generates more chemistry with her unloved film husband, Ian Hunter, than with her supposed romantic interest, Errol Flynn. Flynn is surprisingly bad in this; he seems very uncomfortable with most everything he's required to do although no one ever looked better in a uniform. Luckily some of his most memorable roles were right around the corner. Perhaps the best performance comes from Herbert Mundin, the disgraced soldier who endures much misery from his mates for a prior act of cowardice. He begs for a chance at redemption and makes good.
Truly there is little to recommend this film other than to wonder how Kay Francis was ever a big star and witness an early performance by the legendary Errol Flynn in one of his most unheralded roles.
In India's Sunny Clime................................
bkoganbing20 June 2007
In Another Dawn, Kay Francis marries Ian Hunter after a whirlwind shipboard romance when he's on leave in Britain. He's an army captain out there patrolling the far reaches of the Indian frontier and he likes to fly a plane in his spare time. She's already had a romance with a flier who was lost.
Of course upon arriving in India she discovers she likes his number two man Errol Flynn a whole lot more. In addition Flynn's got a sister on the post, Frieda Inescourt who is crushing out on Hunter, but never tells anyone.
Although Errol does have a brief skirmish with the Moslems to fulfill his action image requirement, the film is one gigantic soap opera with the people behaving as we Americans have come to expect in that stiff upper lip British tradition. These characters are way too noble, too self sacrificing because 'they're building a nation' as Ian Hunter so floridly puts it.
How the players managed to get through this romantic drivel is beyond me.
Of course upon arriving in India she discovers she likes his number two man Errol Flynn a whole lot more. In addition Flynn's got a sister on the post, Frieda Inescourt who is crushing out on Hunter, but never tells anyone.
Although Errol does have a brief skirmish with the Moslems to fulfill his action image requirement, the film is one gigantic soap opera with the people behaving as we Americans have come to expect in that stiff upper lip British tradition. These characters are way too noble, too self sacrificing because 'they're building a nation' as Ian Hunter so floridly puts it.
How the players managed to get through this romantic drivel is beyond me.
Kay Francis and Errol Flynn Together!
JLRMovieReviews3 May 2011
Errol Flynn and Kay Francis star in this movie about love and adventure. Ian Hunter meets Kay first and promptly falls in love with her, even though she admits she doesn't love him. But he does convince her to marry him and move to where he lives and works, a British outpost in the desert. By this means, she meets his second-in-command and right-hand man Errol Flynn. At first she doesn't take to him, even though most of the female viewers have already at first sight. (But he took to her; that's without saying.) But his hearty laugh startles her as it's similar to someone she loved very much and lost. Then, she begins to see him in a new light and spends a lot of time with him, as husband Ian has to travel to trouble-shoot, etc. Therefore, Kay and Errol, well.... Errol and Kay's good looks and chemistry and the movie's mysterious and menacing locale uplifts the material. And, their love scenes together are very exotic and romantic, with them walking hand in hand and getting caught in the moment, kissing.... Even if you don't consider the leads your favorites, I think you'll agree that Errol Flynn and the lovely Kay Francis do make a very passionate couple, and that you'll enjoy 73 minutes of them.
another dawn
mossgrymk7 May 2022
Maybe if Curtiz or Walsh or even George Stevens had directed this thing it would have had a chance to be at least somewhat entertaining. But in the always heavy hands of William Dieterle it oughta be called "Another Yawn" as both Kay Francis' and Errol Flynn's considerable rom com skills are wasted and boredom descends about five minutes in, never to be lifted.
Prosaic for the most part
reelguy22 November 2002
Offsetting the awkward and embarrassing elements of the triangular love story are Korngold's gloriously exotic (if at times obtrusive) score and some occasional poetry in the dialogue. And, for the last two minutes of the film - finally - inspired direction from William Dieterle who, as we know from his better films (Devil and Daniel Webster), was perfectly capable of such things.
old style melodrama
SnoopyStyle6 February 2022
Colonel John Wister (Ian Hunter) is in charge of a fort in colonial British Sahara, a territory called Dickit. While on leave home to England, he falls for and marries American Julia Ashton (Kay Francis). Captain Denny Roark (Errol Flynn) is his best friend.
The start confused me a little. I assumed Errol Flynn to be the leading star of this flick. Upon introducing him, the film goes away from him for the first act. This is trying to be an action romantic epic but it's stuck in old style melodramatic love triangle. There are layers of romantic complications. It feels old style. Errol Flynn's easy charms is as clear as day. The ladies are Hollywood perfect despite being supposed to be in the desert. It's an old melodrama for fans of this type of movies but it's not for me.
The start confused me a little. I assumed Errol Flynn to be the leading star of this flick. Upon introducing him, the film goes away from him for the first act. This is trying to be an action romantic epic but it's stuck in old style melodramatic love triangle. There are layers of romantic complications. It feels old style. Errol Flynn's easy charms is as clear as day. The ladies are Hollywood perfect despite being supposed to be in the desert. It's an old melodrama for fans of this type of movies but it's not for me.
I give it three stars for the love triangle
ArtVandelayImporterExporter13 January 2022
This is nothing more than the Hollywood machine cranking out melodramatic bilge to stuff into theatres between quality pictures.
Basically a Kay Francis film. Her supposed charms elude me at the best of times, and all her movies have the same plot: Francis is kept one degree of separation away from her true love. We're supposed to buy it as romantic tension. To be blunt she always comes across to me as ''woman who doesn't actually like men." Ahem.
Ian Hunter is the other lead, and he's as colorless as the walls in my condo. Quick: Name a memorable Ian Hunter role. You can't. Because no such thing exists.
Warner Brothers must have known this was a dog, so they stuffed Errol Flynn into it, hot off Captain Blood and The Charge of the Light Brigade. As usual, he's the best looking person in the entire movie, including the women. He falls for Francis, which is only believable if she's the only woman for a thousand miles, which she might be, not counting Flynn's sister. What his sister is doing at the outpost, I don't know and I don't care. Totally superfluous character.
There's very little action. Featuring about a dozen extras, at most.
This movie would only have ever been made in the studio era. These days an actor as red hot as Flynn was by that point wouldn't even return the call of whatever producer was pitching him this script.
Basically a Kay Francis film. Her supposed charms elude me at the best of times, and all her movies have the same plot: Francis is kept one degree of separation away from her true love. We're supposed to buy it as romantic tension. To be blunt she always comes across to me as ''woman who doesn't actually like men." Ahem.
Ian Hunter is the other lead, and he's as colorless as the walls in my condo. Quick: Name a memorable Ian Hunter role. You can't. Because no such thing exists.
Warner Brothers must have known this was a dog, so they stuffed Errol Flynn into it, hot off Captain Blood and The Charge of the Light Brigade. As usual, he's the best looking person in the entire movie, including the women. He falls for Francis, which is only believable if she's the only woman for a thousand miles, which she might be, not counting Flynn's sister. What his sister is doing at the outpost, I don't know and I don't care. Totally superfluous character.
There's very little action. Featuring about a dozen extras, at most.
This movie would only have ever been made in the studio era. These days an actor as red hot as Flynn was by that point wouldn't even return the call of whatever producer was pitching him this script.
Remarkable cinematography, but a script better forgotten
richard-178716 July 2016
The cinematography in this movie, by Tony Gaudio, is stunning. The scenes shot in the desert, with the play of shadows on the sands and the wind blowing those sands, are magnificent. I'd love to see them on a really large screen.
The play of light and shadow through the levered blinds in some of the indoor shots is good as well.
The last scene, when we see Flynn and Frances in profile against a strangely lit sky, is also very good - though they are posed in a way so noble as to stretch credulity.
Some really remarkable and very beautiful cinematography, in other words.
The plot is another matter. It is a standard love triangle - two men love the same woman, who loves only one of them - but there isn't much erotic tension. The two men are so noble that you know they will do the right thing. Which, frankly, deprives the movie of suspense - contrast it with *Casablanca*, say - and makes it rather boring.
Flynn is good in this picture, very natural, very relaxed.
Kay Francis, on the other hand, over-dramatizes everything, which does not work against Flynn's detached and humorous manner. Olivia de Havilland would have been better in this role. Francis gets top billing - she was a BIG star then - but I honestly do not understand her appeal.
This is an uneven movie, in sum. The cinematography is great, Flynn is OK, but Francis is way over the top, and the plot, such as it is, not particularly involving.
The play of light and shadow through the levered blinds in some of the indoor shots is good as well.
The last scene, when we see Flynn and Frances in profile against a strangely lit sky, is also very good - though they are posed in a way so noble as to stretch credulity.
Some really remarkable and very beautiful cinematography, in other words.
The plot is another matter. It is a standard love triangle - two men love the same woman, who loves only one of them - but there isn't much erotic tension. The two men are so noble that you know they will do the right thing. Which, frankly, deprives the movie of suspense - contrast it with *Casablanca*, say - and makes it rather boring.
Flynn is good in this picture, very natural, very relaxed.
Kay Francis, on the other hand, over-dramatizes everything, which does not work against Flynn's detached and humorous manner. Olivia de Havilland would have been better in this role. Francis gets top billing - she was a BIG star then - but I honestly do not understand her appeal.
This is an uneven movie, in sum. The cinematography is great, Flynn is OK, but Francis is way over the top, and the plot, such as it is, not particularly involving.
What was Errol Flynn thinking doing this muck?
yarborough9 August 2003
This is the kind of film that once you've seen it, you have no intention on ever seeing it again. Not even if it comes out on DVD with a picture that looks like it was made fifty years later, would still make you not want to see it. This is Hollywood of the 1930's at it's worst and Errol Flynn at one of his worst. An unpleaseant, worthless, total piece of garbage of a film. Errol Flynn must of been desperate to get work, or maybe wanted to do something that wouldn't require a lot of energy. In the previous two years he did two action packed films that probably took out all his strength and energy and probably wanted do something like this muck. I could sit here and put down this film for a very long time, but hell I'm not going to waste my time. I'll just say this and end this review. WARNING: Think twice before watching this!! This is as bad as it gets, well ... almost as bad as it gets. I rate this film * out of ****.
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