Cavalcade (1933) Fox Film Corporation Director: Frank Lloyd Producer: Frank Lloyd Cast: Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook, Una O'Connor, Herbert Mundin, Beryl Mercer, Irene Browne. Awards ceremony: -6th Academy Awards: March 16, 1934. Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, California. Other films nominated for Outstanding Production this year: -42nd Street. -A Farewell To Arms. -I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang. -Lady For A Day. -Little Women. -The Private Life Of Henry VIII. -She Done Him Wrong. -Smilin' Through. -State Fair. Plot summary: Beginning on New Year's Eve 1899, the story of two families' struggles as they endure the affects of first the Boer War, and then later the World War. Through the death of Queen Victoria, the Titanic tragedy and having their son killed during battle, the main story focuses on the London-based Marryot's (CLIVE BROOK, DIANA WYNYARD) and their upper-class lives at the turn of the century. The film ends on New Year's Eve 1932. Standout scene: There are two scenes that really caught my eye(s). Firstly where Alfred comes home from the pub pissed and embarrasses his wife in front of Mrs. Marryot, followed by Alfred's death in the street shortly afterwards. Secondly, later in the film there is a static shot of Jesus mounted on the cross as parading scores of soldiers march through a village over the period of several years during the war. Both scenes are handled in very different styles but are my moments from the film. Facts: -The 6th Academy Awards. -The film was one of the first to use the words "damn" and "hell". -Frank Lloyd won the Academy Award for Best Director and William S. Darling won for Best Art Direction. Diana Wynyard was nominated for Best Actress (if you can believe that?!) but lost to Katharine Hepburn. -The first Best Picture winner to feature a scene which was set on board the Titanic. It wouldn't be the last time the ship would appear in a film that was the winner of the Best Picture Oscar! Personal opinion: A very 'British' film which is barely memorable for any one scene even after you have just finished watching it! Somebody was surely having a laugh at the Academy when they nominated Diana Wynyard for the Best Actress award for her performance in the film. She was positively awful to watch. Herbert Mundin was a joy and pretty much the only character in the film I liked. The rest of the cast - including the usually-loveable Una O'Connor are instantly forgettable. And what was with Merle Tottenham's voice? If she had pitched it any higher she would have had dogs barking! That's to say nothing of the cringeworthy British accents, don't ya know? Interestingly there is a use of the word "damn" - six whole years before the Gone With The Wind controversy. A scene on board the ill-fated Titanic was quite the surprise and there is no shortage of pre-code cleavage either. Although there were some genuine scenes that held my attention, on the whole it was lacklustre and dragged considerably. Did it deserve the Oscar? NO. 4/10

Review date: 07 February 2025