Cavalcade

Starring: Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook, Una O'Connor, Herbert Mundin, Irene Brown, Ursula Jeans
Directed by: Frank Lloyd
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Romance
1933

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Follows the Marryot family's life in England from 1899 to 1933.

Review:

Tim: Cavalcade is an interesting film. It's certainly one of the less remembered Academy Award Best Picture winners, but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad film. I actually found it fairly enjoyable. It is an interesting look at one family living through a particularly memorable period of history. Through their eyes we see not only the maturation of their family, but the changing tide of history itself as it transforms the world around it. It's certainly an interesting journey.

I love how the movie seamlessly incorporated historical events into the story. We start with the Boer War, see the death of Queen Victoria, the sinking of the Titanic, and finally, World War I. These are all major events, and impacting the lives of all around them. I really enjoyed that aspect of the film- thinking about how these famous events would touch the lives of people not remembered in history. It made me reflect on my own experiences reacting to unforgettable events, and how they changed the course of my own life. That's about the highest praise I can sing of this film.

Now, the story of the Marryots is a little less effective. Clive Brook was only average as the patriarch of the family. He gave a fairly good performance, but it wasn't especially memorable. There was never a moment where I thought, "Wow!". He was fine and servicable, but did not inject enough life into Robert. Diana Wynyard is definitely better. She does tend to stray into the melodramatic a bit too often, but in her quiet moments, she's quite strong. As the mother of the family, she struggles with the anxiety of seeing her husband off to war, while also having to raise children. She is the one constant in the family, and I enjoyed watching her evolve through her life. She gives the best performance of the film, and it's no surprise that she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. I actually really enjoyed Herbert Mundin in a smaller supporting role, and I lament that he didn't have more screen time. The rest of the cast was average, many of whom strayed into over-the-top territory with their performances. I did enjoy Ursula Jeans in her role.

The biggest problem with the film is that I didn't love any of the characters. I was mildly interested in their story, but nothing about them moved me. No actor was able to make me feel truly invested in their character, and that hurts the film. I was engaged, but I never really cared on any kind of emotional level. Some of this might be the time barrier, but a lot of it is due to the melodrama that comes out of the film. The movie needed a bit more restraint.

While Cavalcade will never be considered one of the best Best Picture winners, I found it to be an impressively epic movie. While it didn't feature sprawling landscapes, it told the story of a family over almost a 40 year time period. That's impressive, and they pull it off well enough. This is certainly a good movie, and while I may not consider it the best film of 1933, I admit I liked it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Mrs. Miniver, All Quiet on the Western Front