Robert Donat is Manson, the new doctor's assistant, and right off the bat, he goes up against the local teacher ( Rosalind Russell). When one of the students has measles, her idea of quarantine is to put the student in the corner. and when the town refuses to do anything about the bad water supply, they take matters into their own hands, in a drastic way! so he sets up shop in a new town ( with that same teacher!) and realizes all the miners have that same terrible cough..... TB ! as the wife of the British doctor, Russell plays a much more vulnerable person than in most of her roles. the locals don't understand the research, and they resent the fact that the doctor may be endangering their income, so he's put through the wringer at a hearing. they demand that he give up his little "hobby"; they just want a doctor to hand out pills, not to do any research or really resolve the coughing that everyone has. Manson moves on, and ends up handing out pills to the jetset, and making big bucks. but people start wondering why he didn't continue his study on dust in the lungs. his wife, and another researcher in the field. and when his old friend shows up with a great offer, Manon must decide if he wants the easy, cushy life, or to get back into practice and really help people that need it. it gets pretty hokey near the end... a "voice from above" talks to him about what has happened, and its kind of a let down. personally, i would have had one of his friends or maybe his own wife give that speech.... its ok. entertaining. ethics. decisions. easy money or serious, underpaid research? and then there's a hearing, where his decisions are questioned. Donat only played 21 roles, and this was kind of in the middle of his career. it's okay. directed by King Vidor for MGM-UK . he was nominated FIVE times. and this film itself was nominated for FOUR !
Review of The Citadel
