Vintage Film Festival

Cavalcade - (1933)

Cast

Jane Marryot	Diana Wynyard
Robert Marryot	Clive Brook
Alfred Bridges	Herbert Mundin
Ellen Bridges	Una O'Connor
Fanny Bridges	Ursula Jeans
Cook	Beryl Mercer
Margaret Harris	Irene Browne
Annie	Merle Tottenbam
Joe Marryot	Frank Lawton
Edward Marryot	John Warburton
Edith Harris	Margaret Lindsay
George Granger	Billy Bevan
Edward, age 12	Dick Henderson, Jr.
Joey, age 8	Douglas Scott
Edith, age 10	Sheila MacGill
Fanny, age 7	Bonita Granville

Director: Frank Lloyd

Synopsis:

Clive Brook and Diana Wynyard star in this turn-of-the-century epic saga adapted from Noël Coward's successful 1931 stage play. This richly nostalgic look at a vanished way of life traces the lives of a British family from the late 19th century through 1930. The story follows two English families--the upper-class Marryots and the working-class Bridges--as they confront some of the major political and social events that rock Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Beginning with the Boer War in 1899, in which both the Marryot and the Bridge patriarchs enlist, and moving on to the death of Queen Victoria, the coming of World War I, and the sinking of the Titanic, the families must learn to deal with the death of their loved ones as well as with the constantly changing world around them. In spite of all the tragedy, they continue to to believe in the everlasting glory of their nation and dream of a better future for all. CAVALCADE is a Hollywood golden era blockbuster directed by Frank Lloyd (MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, OLIVER TWIST).

Mini-Review

A rare beauty. Noel Coward, in an atypically serious venture, traces 30 years of a British family's life. A big, fine production -- little shown or remembered today -- CAVALCADE was a sensation at the time of its release, filled as it is with a wistful look at a couple clinging together through years of love. The epochal scenes commence with the Boer War and go on to record the death of Queen Victoria, the sinking of the Titanic, WWI, and the birth of jazz. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director while Wynyard was nominated for Best Actress, but lost to Katharine Hepburn for MORNING GLORY.