A Farewell to Arms (1932)

A tale of the love between ambulance driver Lt. Henry and Nurse Catherine Barkley during World War I. The action takes place in Italy and the two fall in love during the war and will stop ... See full summary »

Director:

Frank Borzage

Writers:

Benjamin Glazer (screenplay), Oliver H.P. Garrett (screenplay),

Stars:

Helen Hayes, Gary Cooper, Adolphe Menjou

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Helen Hayes	...	Catherine Barkley
Gary Cooper	...	Lt. Frederic Henry
Adolphe Menjou	...	Maj. Rinaldi
Mary Philips	...	Helen Ferguson
Jack La Rue	...	Priest
Blanche Friderici	...	Head Nurse
Mary Forbes	...	Miss Van Campen
Gilbert Emery	...	British Major

Storyline

A tale of the love between ambulance driver Lt. Henry and Nurse Catherine Barkley during World War I. The action takes place in Italy and the two fall in love during the war and will stop at nothing to be together. The film also analyses Lt. Henry's feelings on war and the purpose of fighting.

---

Plot Keywords:

nurse | ambulance driver | italy | milan italy | battle of the isonzo | 

---

Taglines:

"Let's love tonight," they said, "There may be no tomorrow!"

---

Genres:

Romance | War | Drama

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adiós a las armas

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min 89 min (original) 79 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though in the novel the character of Catherine Barkley is described as very tall, actress Helen Hayes is a mere five feet tall.

---

Quotes

Catherine Barkley: [Catherine comes to tend a wounded Henry] Hello, darling!
Lieutenant Frederic Henry: Catherine!
[she kisses him]
Lieutenant Frederic Henry: You're lovely.
Catherine Barkley: Are you badly hurt?
Lieutenant Frederic Henry: You're lovely.
Catherine Barkley: [concerned] Oh my poor darling, it's your leg, isn't it?
Lieutenant Frederic Henry: You're the loveliest thing I ever saw.

---

Crazy Credits

In the original 1932 credits, the credits are punctuated by aerial bomb blasts, and every time there is a blast, a credit disappears to be replaced by the next one.

---

Connections

Version of Force of Arms (1951)

---

Soundtracks

"Tristan und Isolde"
Written by Richard Wagner
In the score (particularly the "Liebestod" section) for the last few scenes when Frederic gets to Catherine

User Reviews

The Great War and the devotion of two people

There's World War I going and Lieutenant Frederick Henry is fighting for his life.The war becomes secondary when he meets and falls in love with nurse Catherine Barkley.Having big emotions for another person during the war is dangerous since there's the chance of losing that person.They're both afraid.He may not admit that, but they're both afraid.Frank Borzage's A Farewell to Arms (1932) is based on Ernest Hemingway's novel.It won two Academy Awards from best cinematography (Charles Lang) and best sound, recording (Franklin Hansen).It would have deserved awards for acting, as well.The charismatic Gary Cooper and the admirable Helen Hayes do a fantastic job as the leading couple.Then there's also the great Adolphe Menjou as Major Rinaldi.The dialogue is brilliant.Lots of lovely words are spoken about love.I know there are many people who would say a movie from 75 years back is too old for them.I'd say that's their lost.A Farewell to Arms offers great feelings from the first meeting till the tragic ending.