| Cavalcade | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Frank Lloyd |
| Screenplay by | Reginald Berkeley Sonya Levien(continuity) |
| Based on | Cavalcade 1931 play byNoël Coward |
| Produced by | Frank Lloyd Winfield R. Sheehan |
| Starring | Diana Wynyard Clive Brook Una O'Connor Irene Browne Herbert Mundin Frank Lawton Merle Tottenham Beryl Mercer |
| Cinematography | Ernest Palmer |
| Edited by | Margaret Clancey |
| Music by | Peter Brunelli Louis De Francesco Arthur Lange J. S. Zamecnik |
| Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,180,280 |
| Box office | $1,004,000 (domestic rentals)[1] $3.5 million (worldwide rentals)[2] |
Cavalcade is a 1933 Americanepicpre-Codedrama film directed byFrank Lloyd. The screenplay byReginald Berkeley andSonya Levien is based on the 1931play of the same title byNoël Coward. The film starsDiana Wynyard andClive Brook.
The story presents a view of English life during the first third of the 20th century fromNew Year's Eve 1899 toNew Year's Day 1933, from the point of view of well-to-do London residents Jane and Robert Marryot, their children, their close friends, and their servants. Several historical events affect the lives of the characters or serve as background for the film, including theSecond Boer War, thedeath ofQueen Victoria, thesinking of theRMSTitanic, andWorld War I. Throughout the film, the passage of years is indicated by dates ontitle cards, with aMedievalcavalcade marching in the background.
The film won threeAcademy Awards (includingBest Picture andBest Director).
Due to being a film published in 1933, it will enter thepublic domain on January 1, 2029.
On the last day of 1899, Jane and Robert Marryot, an upper-class couple, return to theirtownhouse in a fashionable area of London before midnight, so they can keep their tradition of celebrating the new year with a midnight toast. Jane worries because Robert has joined theCity of London Imperial Volunteers (CIV) as an officer, and will soon be leaving to serve in theSecond Boer War. The Marryots' butler Alfred Bridges has joined the CIV as a private and is also leaving soon. His wife Ellen, the Marryots' maid, worries about what will become of her and their new baby Fanny if Alfred is killed or seriously injured. At midnight, the Marryot and Bridges families ring in the new century while Cook dances with other revelers in the street. While Robert is away at war, Jane's friend Margaret Harris keeps her company and gives her emotional support. Robert and Alfred return home unharmed and Robert isknighted for his service.
Alfred announces that he has bought his own pub with money partly provided by Robert, and he and Ellen will be leaving service and moving to a flat. As the downstairs staff have a cup of tea to celebrate Alfred's return, they receive news of thedeath ofQueen Victoria.
A few years later, Alfred has developedalcoholism and is managing the pub poorly. Ellen plans a genteel social evening when Jane Marryot and her son Edward, who is now in college atOxford, pay a visit to the Bridgeses' flat. Ellen does not tell Alfred about the visit and lies to the Marryots that he can't attend due to a leg injury. Alfred shows up drunk, acts rudely and destroys a doll that Jane had given Fanny, causing Fanny to run away. Alfred chases Fanny into the street, where he is fatally run over by ahorse-drawnfire engine.
The following year, Ellen and Fanny Bridges encounter the Marryot family at the seaside, where Ellen and Fanny are living off the proceeds from the pub, now owned by Ellen. Fanny has become a talented dancer and singer. Edward Marryot has fallen in love with his childhood playmate Edith Harris. The family witnesses thehistoric flight byLouis Blériot over theEnglish Channel. Edward and Edith marry and subsequently die in theSinking of the RMS Titanic.
Robert and Joe Marryot both serve as officers inWorld War I. While on leave, Joe reconnects with Fanny Bridges, now a performer in a nightclub. Fanny and Joe fall in love and Joe spends most of his leave time with her, unbeknownst to his parents. He proposes, but she hesitates to accept due to the difference in theirsocial classes. Just afterarmistice is announced in 1918, Ellen reveals the affair to Jane and demands that Joe marry Fanny when he returns. While Jane and Ellen argue, Jane receives a telegram informing her that Joe has been killed in battle.
The film ends on New Year's Day 1933, with Jane and Robert, now elderly, carrying on their tradition of celebrating the new year with a midnight toast to their memories, as well as to the future.
Fox Movietone newsreel cameramen were sent to London to record the original stage production as a guide for the film adaptation.
Frank Borzage was originally going to direct, but he departed in June 1932 to work on another project. Fox production headWinfield Sheehan decided to use a British director due to the film's setting, andFrank Lloyd was brought on board. Production took place from early October to November 29, 1932.[3]
The film was one of the first to use the words "damn" and "hell", as in "Hell of a lot". These had been used in the play. There was concern at theHays Office that this could set a precedent. Fox president Sidney Kent was quoted saying the mild profanity "could not offend any person; and, after all, that was the real purpose of the Code. And as far as the use creating a precedent which might be followed by other producers is concerned, the best answer would be that anyone who could make a picture as good asCavalcade might be justified in following the precedent."[3] The precedent was codified by the Hays Office six years later, in advance of the release ofGone with the Wind, which features the most famous use of "damn" in an early American film.[4]
The film premiered in New York City on January 5, 1933, but did not go into general theatrical release until April 15.[3]
In addition to several original compositions by Coward, more than fifty popular songs, national anthems, hymns, ballads, and topical tunes relevant to the years portrayed were used in the film. Songs appearing in the film include:
Cavalcade was an instant commercial success, earning $1,004,000 in North American rentals,[1] and $3.5 million in worldwide rentals.[2] It made over US$1 million in the UK.[6] It ended up making an estimated profit of £2,500,000 during its initial theatrical release.[7]
Mordaunt Hall ofThe New York Times called the film "most affecting and impressive" and added, "In all its scenes there is a meticulous attention to detail, not only in the settings ... but also in the selection of players ... It is unfurled with such marked good taste and restraint that many an eye will be misty after witnessing this production."[8]
The film was reportedlyAdolf Hitler's favorite film.[9] During 1934, he andJoseph Goebbels, director of Nazi propaganda films, watched the film twice in March and May.[10]
The film holds a 67% approval rating on the review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 5.90/10. The site's consensus reads: "Though solidly acted and pleasant to look at,Cavalcade lacks cohesion, and sacrifices true emotion for mawkishness."[11] OnMetacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[12]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Outstanding Production | Fox Film | Won | [13] [14] |
| Best Director | Frank Lloyd | Won | ||
| Best Actress | Diana Wynyard | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | William S. Darling | Won | ||
| National Board of Review Awards | Top Ten Films | 3rd Place | [15] | |
Cavalcade was the first film produced byFox Film to win theAcademy Award for Best Picture, and the only one before it merged with20th Century Pictures in 1935 to form20th Century Fox.
TheAcademy Film Archive preservedCavalcade in 2002.[16]
Cavalcade was released on a US VHS in 1993.[17]
Cavalcade was initially released on DVD December 7, 2010, as the earliest entry in the 75-film, three-volume "Twentieth Century Fox 75th Anniversary Collection", a prestige set with an initial list price of nearly $500.[18] With the DVD and Blu-ray releases ofWings on January 24, 2012,Cavalcade became the only Best Picture Oscar winner not available on a stand-alone DVD inRegion 1.
It was eventually released separately on a US Blu-ray/DVD set on August 6, 2013,[19] after it received the most write-in votes in a Fox online poll.[20]
The film is also available for rental or purchase in HD on various US-restricted digital services.[21][22]
As of May 2019[update], these are the only official home video releases ofCavalcade anywhere, though severalbootlegs are available, most notably a poor-quality DVD and BD-R from Spain.[23]
