Arrowsmith (1931)

Director John Ford, historically most famous for his westerns, would find his first major critical success with the Samuel Goldwyn produced film adaptation of Arrowsmith. As with any adaptation of a novel, the film version of Sinclair Lewis' Pulitzer Prize winning story about a doctor and his inner journey of discovering why he researches medicine, lacks the fullness of literary original, but keeps to the core of the story. The picture would be a critical success, but would be a film who's shine would fade with time, although does provide a valid point about how modern medicine is mishandled by the politics of society.

The story is of the bright up and coming scientist/doctor Martin Arrowsmith (Ronald Colman) and his journey through life, discovering through hardships and passion that for one doctor to make the breakthrough discoveries he must be free of the what people expect him to act like as a humble doctor, and get back to his roots. Arrowsmith was a keen student and apprentice of one of the brightest medical doctors in the country, but finds himself drawn into what he would consider to be the system of medicine. First as a humble small town doctor, then as a struggling research doctor in New York. Arrowsmith finds he lacks the passion he once had as a student of medicine, disagreeing with the politics of how medicine is held down by conservatives. With his wife, Leora (Helen Hayes), by his side as the rock in his life he finds himself on the brink of a cure of a plague epidemic on a Caribbean island. While researching on the stricken island the epidemic would take his wife's life. Once returning to New York as a miracle healer of many people, Arrowsmith breaks the chains of how medicine is handled by the company he works for to research on his own, returning to the passion of his roots.

The description of the story may not seem very entertaining. This picture would fall under the category of a film where you, the audience, experience a great span of time in a man's lifetime journey. The book encompasses a man's life, and film attempts very well to be true to the text, omitting only a few minor parts. With a running time of 108 minutes the film moves rather fast to cover a great length of time in the life of Dr. Arrowsmith, with you, the audience, living out the frustrations and the losses that Arrowsmith struggles through. The story is not completely a happy ending, an uncommon trait of American pictures for this period. Martin loses much in his life, but gains back the core passions of his profession. So in the end, one is to feel the determination to do what they believe is right with their life. The task for screenwriter Sidney Howard, a veteran of stage writing, was not easy one Howard would weed through the tale that still keeps all that is important to the journey of the doctor, earning himself an Academy Award nomination for his work.

The film has a rather fine cast that attempts to bring life to a story about medicine, where in fact the knowledge of medicine in the story is very vague and sketchy. The anchor of the ensemble is Ronald Colman, who makes you believe that his mind is always elsewhere when his is in a situation he is not pleased with. Colman was a veteran of the screen from back in the silent days, but his smooth British accent translated very well in the sound era, propelling him to new levels of stardom. Helen Hayes would be the emotional core of the picture and would have the emotional death in the film. The way John Ford shot the scene that foreshadowed her eventual death was heartbreaking and I am sure most audiences gasped knowing what was to happen to this loving wife when she accidentally infected herself with the deadly plague. The acting Richard Bennett, who plays Dr. Sondelius, a passionate researcher that helps renew Arrowsmith in his studies, would be a bit hammed as his experience was mainly on the stage. Interestingly the film would depict a minor character of a bright, well mannered, highly educated, black doctor, something that would be very different for screen at that time, and worth noting.

John Ford's skill in storytelling, production, and staging is well manifested in this picture. The way he placed his camera, moved it through the sets and and revealed the information of the story is masterful. Despite you knowing what will happen next in some scenes, the way Ford presents it on screen is beautiful, filling shots with emotion and feeling not seen if shot by a different director. The film was quick and very tight, mostly because of the wide amount of story needed to be told in such a small package, but there was other tales of why it was that way. Legend has it that Ford was forbidden to drink while in production of the picture by producer Samuel Goldwyn This made Ford work incredibly fast, even cutting scenes completely from the picture for no given reason. True or not? I cannot say, but it makes for a good legend from the set. Ford's best work was still to come in the future.

Arrowsmith would go on to be huge success for Samuel Goldwyn, once owner of Goldwyn Films which was swallowed up by MGM, thus creating his life as an independent producer. The picture would be nominated for most Oscars at the 5th Academy Awards with four. The nods were for adapted screenplay, cinematography, and art direction, capped with a best picture nomination. It would be a first of five John Ford films to be up for best picture in his career. Financially the film would be success as well, helping Goldwyn producing films for the next decade.

Although the film was critical and financial achievement of the early 1930s, the film has not been well remembered or last the test of time. Though the story was known for being produced with true medical studies as it point of reference, the picture does take the route of being very vague with the medicine. As the world has gotten more educated the vagueness has become more obvious leaving the film a bit bland. The picture is well made, but does not stand up very well to the movies that would come after it, allowing Arrowsmith to disappear in the memories of cinema history. Sad to say, but it is true and it happens in cinema. Arrowsmith pleased audiences at its time with a story of a man that would decide to take the narrow road to the ultimate goal in his life.