Ever in My Heart (1933) User Reviews

Uneven Melodrama Shows Some Unflattering History

[henri sauvage · 6/10 · 17 April 2011]

The First World War saw the debut not only of new military technology, but also new weapons of psychological warfare. It was the first war fought with means of mass persuasion as well as mass production. To get the American public in the proper fighting spirit for their inevitable entry into the war, the authorities deliberately and uncritically passed along British propaganda which wildly exaggerated or just plain fabricated German atrocities. (Sadly for all concerned, real German acts of brutality, especially in the conquered Low Countries, gave this propaganda an air of plausibility.)

It's unfortunate that, given its time and circumstances, this movie can only hint at the pervasive ugliness of these manufactured images of the gleefully nun-raping, baby-bayoneting "Bestial Hun", and the vicious persecution it inspired against German immigrants.

Though the glimpses it does show are often harrowing, as the story tracks the collapse of the blissful marriage between a professor (Otto Kruger) from Germany who teaches at a small college, and his American wife (Barbara Stanwyck), under the pressure of the growing hatred and intolerance they face from almost everyone around them. Even if the plot's predictable and the final twist is pretty contrived, and with few exceptions the acting and direction are about what you'd expect from a time when talking pictures were only four years old, I still have to give Warner Brothers some credit simply for having made a film -- even a low-budget "weeper" like this -- showing at least in some small way how war can corrode our humanity on the home front, too.

The other major thing this picture has going for it from my point of view is, of course, Barbara Stanwyck: In the moments when she subtly transcends what could otherwise have been just another mawkish, pedestrian melodrama, you can clearly see a great actress who's just beginning to hit her stride. She even manages to make the somewhat over-the-top final moments watchable, if not quite believable.

depressing

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 19 December 2012]

Barbara Stanwyck and Otto Kruger star in "Ever in My Heart," a 1933 film directed by Archie Mayo and also starring Ralph Bellamy.

Stanwyck plays Mary Archer, who, in 1909, falls in love with a young German, Hugo Wilbrandt (Otto Kruger), a friend of her cousin Jeff (Ralph Bellamy). They get married right away and settle down, and eventually have a baby boy. Hugo proudly becomes an American citizen.

Tragedy strikes the couple. When World War I occurs, the anti-German sentiment forces Hugo out of his teaching job and unable to find any other work. Mary's family wants them to move back in with them, but they want Hugo to change his name, which he won't do. He talks Mary into staying with them, saying he will join her in a week. He doesn't; he turns his back on America and returns to Germany to fight the war with the Germans.

Mary divorces Hugo and later goes overseas to work for the war effort. There, she runs into Hugo.

I knew the plot of this film, but there were elements of it that I did not know, so I found the film even more profoundly depressing than I expected. Barbara Stanwyck is wonderful, going from a fresh, young, happy woman to one who has to endure horrible sadness. Otto Kruger is very effective as well, but this is really Stanwyck's film. She'll break your heart.

Beautifully done film, but be prepared!

An unexpected film theme

[mysterv · 7/10 · 30 July 2014]

TCM showed this film and I saved it on my DVR for later viewing. Barbara Stanwyck, World War I, Germans and throw in mystery...sounded like a good old war themed movie. Turns out it was a movie that could have only been made around 1933. It was sandwiched just right between the two World Wars to deal with the issues in the film. It showed the life of a German who married an American in the years before the Great War. Later in the film the War became a major focus and impact upon his life and his family. My grandfather was of German heritage. He was born in the US but both his parents were from Germany. When he became of age he attempted to enlist in WW I but was turned down because he was 'German'. Didn't matter that his family had arrived before the Civil War and had fought for the Union. When my family finished viewing this film we all thought - this film is 'different'. The theme was not something I was expecting and not something I had every seen in other films. A young Barbara Stanwyck was a bonus. Worth watching if you enjoy older films.

Stanwyck breaks our heart -- again

[Fred_Rap · 7/10 · 27 January 2010]

This poignant and graceful doomed-love weeper deals with a facet of American history rarely explored. In a beautifully restrained performance, Barbara Stanwyck plays a Daughter of the American Revolution who marries gentle German immigrant Otto Kruger. Upon the outbreak of the First World War, they become victimized by anti-German sentiments.

With tasteful understatement and an unusual attention to period detail, director Archie L. Mayo paints a vivid tableau of social intolerance that must have been quite daring in its time (the scars of the Great War were still fresh in '33). The writers, unfortunately, couldn't resist a nosedive into Mata Hari-like spy machinations, an eleventh hour plot contrivance that strikes an indelicate note. Even so, the film's quiet sensitivity stays with you long after.

With Ralph Bellamy (as the inevitable jilted boyfriend), Ruth Donnelly, Laura Hope Crews, and Clara Blandick.

seldom shown early Stanwyck

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 28 August 2008]

Barbara Stanwyck, the gal who could play any role, is American Mary Archer, who is fawning over her cousin "Jeff" (Ralph Bellamy), until she meets the dashing German Hugo Wilbrant (Otto Kruger). They get married, and soon Germany is invading countries during WW I , which causes turbulence and troubles for the married couple and their family.

Its a shortie, at 68 minutes. I had seen Stanwyck in Ten Cents a Dance in 1931, and in that one, she was still very much a young girl, in style and appearance; in this film "Ever in my Heart", even though only two years has gone by, she is much more grown up, in looks and in sophistication. Too bad Donald Meeks scenes were deleted - he would have spiced up the plot, which could use some humor, with more than its share of sadness. Interesting scene where the little old ladies in the sewing circle giggle and gasp over the horrible things the enemy does to captured prisoners. Technically, the acting and story here are just fine, and I guess the plot would soon be a current event again with the coming of WW II, much less still be an issue with world events going on today. Producer Hal Wallis and Archie Mayo (director) would make eleven movies together in the 1930s.

Soaper With A Wallop

[GManfred · 6 July 2013]

"Ever In My Heart" starts off slowly and uneventfully, a pretty pedestrian story that seems both tendentious and predictable. Barbara Stanwyck grows up in a waspy New England town. Her best friend/fiancé (Bellamy) returns from Europe with a German friend (Kruger), who sweeps Stanwyck off her feet. They marry. WWI arrives and the town turns against the couple, who are accused of sympathizing with the Germans. Hardships ensue.

Stanwyck is terrific, and Otto Kruger is surprisingly warm and effective in his role. Later in his career he played spies and double agents in scores of WWII films. Ralph Bellamy, of course, played the good-natured slob who lost the girl.

The film is a hyperbolic screed against small-town prejudice, and the first half seems forced and simplistic, but picks up in the second half with the onset of the war. I thought the ending was quite powerful and hard to watch, a tribute to actors who know their craft. I appreciate Stanwyck more with each picture, mostly these early ones which are seldom shown.

One of the most tragic stories ever on film

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 31 March 2017]

Yes, this is one of the most tragic stories I have ever seen put to film. A young woman (Barbara Stanwyck) is in love with Ralph Bellamy, but then falls in love with Otto Kruger, a German national who is visiting Bellamy. Stanwyck and Kruger get married, have a child...and a dog...and are living a happy life until World War I breaks out. The community turns against them because of Kruger's former German citizenship, even though before the war he became an American citizen. Their child dies (somewhat unexplained), the dog is tortured to death (also ignore Sara Marie's review on this topic since it is not portrayed, only referred to), and Kruger is fired from his job as a professor. Barely subsisting, Stanwyck goes to live with family, and instead of following her "before Christmas", Kruger returns to Germany a bitter repatriate. There he becomes a spy for the Germans, and by great coincidence Stanwyck (as a worker at a canteen), Kruger, and Bellamy (in the army) all end up at the same place near the front. Kruger is there to spy on troop movements, which will endanger the lives of thousands of Americans including Bellamy and Stanwyck's brother. One last night together, then Stanwyck poisons a last toast of wine between her and Kruger, and they both die before he can pass on his information to the Germans.

The problem here is not the story. Yes, you have to suspend belief a bit to imagine the 3 principals would all end up near the front at the same time, but then again, most films require us to suspend belief. The problem is twofold -- the overall pace of the film, and the gaps in the story. Both of these issues are somewhat common in films before what I think of as Hollywood's maturity -- and that maturity took place right around 1932-1933 when this film was made. A couple of years later, I suspect a slightly longer film (this is only 68 minutes long) would have eliminated gaps and filled in the story nicely.

Stanwyck is excellent here. Bellamy and Kruger good to very good. Frank Albertson shallow. And, Laura Hope Crews is here as the grandmother (Crews was later Aunt Pittypat in "Gone With The Wind").

As indicated, the film has its flaws, but is well worth watching as a reminder that Americans are not always uplifting, kind, and generous people. This is a tragic war story, a paints a sad picture of how our society can behave at times.

Unusual romantic drama about the effects of propaganda on a marriage...

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 19 August 2008]

BARBARA STANWYCK gives a very sensitive performance as a perfectly normal young woman whose marriage falls apart after the hostility of townspeople towards her German husband during the period of WWI. She does a commendable job as a woman who suffers the consequences when friends and colleagues destroy their relationship, showing a sweet and vulnerable side that she seldom exploited in later films.

It's a subtle look at a German-American marriage at a time when Germany was launching into World War I. OTTO KRUGER is cast as her German husband, and he too gives an understated, sympathetic performance that is compelling to watch.

Poor RALPH BELLAMY has another one of his hapless roles as a man he describes as "an unromantic bachelor." Nevertheless, he brings energy and eagerness to his role of a man in love with Stanwyck.

Stanwyck has a much softer look and is very attractive in the lead. An interesting little item from her early career that exploits her warmth, charm and sincerity as few early films ever did.

Trivia note: It strikes me as unusual that the director is Archie Mayo, more noted for the light, fluffy romantic comedies he did for most of his career at Warner Brothers rather than the sober melodrama with social significance that he does so well, complete with a downbeat ending.

A film that history teachers like me adore...

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 23 April 2011]

For a retired history teacher, there sure is a lot to love about this film. "Ever in My Heart" discusses one of the big secrets of twentieth century American history. Few today realize that during WWI, there was a serious backlash against Germans living in the United States. This is odd, as through most of the war, Americans were roughly divided in half between those who supported the Central Powers (including the Germans) and the Allied Powers--and the average American just wanted us to stay out of the conflict. Yet, in a case o political and newspaper jingoism, the country went from very neutral (in 1916 Wilson's re-election campaign motto was "he kept us out of the war") to declaring war only three months later! And, at the same time, the pub went insane--and often persecuted anyone of German heritage--roughly 25% of the country!! Riots, beatings and even murders of German-speaking citizens (some of which were actually Swiss or Dutch) were relatively common and many German-Americans changed their names to avoid persecutions. German-language newspapers and churches ceased as well.

This film was exceptionally well directed, sensitively written and acted and it's obvious Warner Brothers believed in this film. This actually isn't surprising, as in the early 1930s, Hollywood was very pro-German--as Americans were now having second-thoughts the advisability of their involvement in this war as well as the persecutions of Germans in the country. In other words, it was a pretty safe topic to question American attitudes during WWI by 1933. Simply stated, people in America were feeling sorry for the Germans---which, ironically, coincided with the rise of fascism (oops--talk about bad timing).

In "Ever in My Heart", Mary (Barbara Stanwyck) falls in love with Hugo (Otto Kruger) and they marry. He's a very nice man and they have every reason to be happy. Soon after marrying and having a child and the household is bilingual. Hugo also becomes an American citizen and he is proud of him family and new nation. And, at about the same time, WWI begins. As the war progresses, however, anti-German sentiments begin to affect Hugo as well as his family. First, their ' friends' begin to shun them. Then, he loses his job simply because he's a German-American. And then, it gets MUCH worse....and, towards the end, a bit hard to believe--but still quite exciting. I won't say more--I don't want to spoil it. Suffice to say it's a heck of a good film--and might just bring a tear or two to your eyes.

By the way, although Otto Kruger was a fine actor and was very good here, he actually was not a German (despite his excellent German language skills) but his heritage was Dutch.

Moving

[wkr-56174 · 7/10 · 2 October 2019]

Lovely, sweet, touching love story of a doomed couple. Love lasted till the bitter end.

What a downer

[marcslope · 5/10 · 4 June 2012]

Good little Warners soap, up to a point--and at that point it veers off into ridiculous plot coincidence and a rushed, depressing ending. Stanwyck contributes even more expressiveness than her considerable usual, and Kruger is an appealing leading man, until the wild contortions of the plot lead us to hate him, after the movie's spent three-quarters of its time cementing our allegiance to him. Warners, always wanting to be The Socially Conscious Studio, registers some truths about American prejudice that must have rung true and discomfiting a decade after the war. But then it hedges its bets by telling us, see, you never should have trusted this guy in the first place. Bellamy's stuck on the sidelines playing his usual Guy Who Doesn't Get the Girl, and there are tasty contributions from Elizabeth Patterson and the ever-indispensable Ruth Donnelley.

Well done and well acted but horribly depressing

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 16 April 2011]

If you want to see a well crafted film you are in the right place, but if you are in the mood to be cheered up you are absolutely in the wrong place.

The film concerns the trials and tribulations of a marriage between a German college professor and his New England socialite wife set in the years 1909-1918. Mary Archer (Barbara Stanwyck) was born to one of those New England families that for some reason thinks it is a great personal accomplishment to exit the birth canal of someone whose ancestors landed on Plymouth Rock. She lives in a town named after her family - Archerville - and it seems you can't walk through the main square without tripping over a monument to one of her past relatives. However, in what seems to be a triumph over environment Mary is a down-to-earth gal that likes people for what they are not where they come from. Mary has had a lifelong friendship and understanding of probable matrimony with Jeff (Ralph Bellamy). However, one day in 1909 he brings over a friend of his, German Hugo Wilbrandt (Otto Kruger). It's love at first sight for Mary and Hugo and the whirlwind courtship and marriage is shocking to Mary's blue blood relatives who receive Hugo somewhat coolly.

Hugo gets a job at a small college as a chemistry professor, Mary gives birth to their son, and they get a small dog - a dachshund - that actually becomes a rather important part of the plot. Hugo even becomes an American citizen and the couple's friends give Hugo a loving cup in commemoration of his naturalization - all is good. Into everyone's life comes some tribulations, but it is tragic when the good comes in one lump followed by all of the bad in another lump and it is doubly tragic when the bad has nothing to do with your own failings and everything to do with prejudice and a paranoid frenzy. That's exactly what happens to the Wilbrandts after the sinking of the Lusitania when all of their friends and associates and even relatives turn against them because of Hugo's German heritage. The Wilbrandt family saga is of course fiction. The part of this story that is not fiction is how Americans treated everything and everyone German from sauerkraut to those with German sounding surnames caused by British and French propaganda that was spread to cause Americans to believe that the Germans were savages so that the United States would enter WWI on the Allied side.

This film was made when America was at the height of its post-WWI anti-war feelings, and through most of the film I figured that the moral of the story was how this largely pointless war - WWI - had ruined so many lives, including those not directly involved in battle. However, towards the end there is a troubling scene between Jeff and Mary. Jeff admits that Mary has always been the only girl for him and states that the tragic end of her marriage to Hugo was caused by her not "sticking with her own kind". Mary seems to passively agree with Jeff's self serving statement. I would be somewhat horrified if that is what the actual moral was meant to be.

I still recommend this one. It's a heart breaker but it is well done at every turn. Even the cinematography with various montages giving you an idea of what is running through Mary's mind at times is very effective.

Heartbreak on the Homefront

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 20 July 2014]

This is an Odd One. From the Baffling Title to the Depressing Content that has a Boy and His Dog, well that would be Saying too Much. Suffice to say that this is one of those Movies that is Hard to Find. It doesn't fit Well into any Category and it isn't Exactly a Good Time at the Bijou.

It is a Story about American Propaganda and Prejudice with the Persecution of People on the Homefront that Our Country is at War. Still goes on Today. This is WWI and the German-Americans were the Victims in this Film.

Released in 1933 (a decade plus after the War ended), it is Interesting to Note that the Original NY Times Reviewer Chastised Hollywood saying that this is Old News (Germans being Ostracized in America during the War) so why did they even bother.

Really. That is a Question that Hardly needs an Answer to Anyone with Half a Brain, so Shame on You NY Times. Truth is, a Reminder like this Gut-Wrenching Movie is Needed Periodically to Enlighten New Generations and Keep Them on Their Toes. To be Mindful of Propaganda and Bigotry, and Prejudice.

Overall this Movie with Barbara Stanwyck and Otto Kruger is Quite Gripping and although the Final Act is Overdone for a Finality that is Contrived, the Remainder of the Film Manages to Draw the Audience into its Message that Love Outside the Family and Yes, Outside the Country can be Acceptable and Even Preferable than Marrying One's Cousin.

A warning to viewers

[bernardsyard · 2/10 · 13 December 2012]

I am aware that things like this happened at this time, in fact my own family, which is German in heritage and last name, had things like this happen to them in the UK. I cannot, therefor, argue with the important point this movie is making. However, Viewers should be aware that this movie contains the abuse of an animal (that results in it's death) that belongs to the family in question as the result of the bigotry the movie examines. I found this to ruin the movie for me. If you are the kind of person that doesn't need this sort of thing presented as "entertainment" (even in a good cause) you might want to avoid this film, in spite of the wonderful Barbara Stanwyck.

Brutally Honest and Frank Look at Racism

[Michael_Elliott · 24 July 2011]

Ever in My Heart (1933)

*** (out of 4)

Surprising powerful and effective drama from Warner has Otto Kruger playing Hugo Wilbrandt, a German man who comes to live in New England where he's accepted into American society and eventually marries Mary Archer (Barbara Stanwyck), a woman from a proud American family. All is well for the couple and their young son until WWI breaks out and soon they find themselves subject to many who now can't accept their ties to Germany. There's no question that this was made on the budget of a "B" movie but at the same time you can tell that the studio, directors, actors and writers cared so much about the subject and every inch of the film bleeds a certain love that you can't help but get caught up in their story, feel the pain of the family and at times breathe a bit of hatred for those treating the family in such a bad way. It's funny to think that at one time filmmakers were ripped apart for showing any type of sympathy towards the German people but I guess after ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, filmmakers were allowed to show things differently. It's funny that this movie tries to show the evils of what some Americans did while back in the days that this story actually took place Hollywood were turning out all sorts of propaganda, which probably helped fuel the fire of many Americans. With that said, this is an extremely powerful movie at times and this is especially true in a couple scenes that once you see you'll unlikely to ever forget. I'm not going to directly spoil either one of them but one happens with Kruger in bed with his son and the other happens at the end. Both are so true in their emotions that you're rather shocked to see the filmmakers be brave enough to show them. The performances are certainly a major plus with Kruger turning in one of the best performances I've seen from him. He was always a great character actor but he really shines in the leading role here. I always say being able to act with your eyes is a very difficult thing to do but I was constantly watching Kruger's eyes, which said so much during the various important parts of the film. Stanwyck is also extremely good in her role of the wife who finds your life falling apart when just months before it was perfect. The supporting cast includes nice work by the always reliable Ralph Bellamy and Ruth Donnelly is good as the housekeeper. EVER IN MY HEART lasts just under 70- minutes and one would think that wouldn't be enough time to really get deep into the serious subject matter but it actually works out perfectly because the mind frames of people in this country turned on a dime back when the war started and I think the film, running as fast as it does, did a terrific job showing this.

Must-see for Stanwyck lovers but otherwise underwhelming

[Nate-48 · 6/10 · 2 October 2019]

It is quite amazing how the talent and presence of Barbara Stanwyck can shine through even the most mundane of B pictures as she does in this Mayo film, one of her early movies. The story regarding the German experience in America during WWI is a good premise but the follow-through is not executed well. The story drifts and breaks apart after the first 30 minutes. There are some confusing scenes with events alluded to though not clearly expressed and explained, almost as if the producers were too shy to plainly illustrate the story on screen. Also, the pairing between Stanwyck and the much older Kruger (20 years difference) appears to be a major mismatch. All in all, this would be about a 3 or 4 without the marvelous acting of Stanwyck

Tender romantic drama

[HotToastyRag · 6/10 · 3 November 2018]

Parts of Ever in My Heart are so sweet, which makes the sad parts even sadder. If that's your idea of a good time, go out and rent this romance. If you don't like tearjerkers, pick a different Barbara Stanwyck movie from the pre-Code era, like Illicit or Night Nurse.

Set in the years before WWI, and made years before WWII, the film discusses anti-German prejudice in small-town America. Barbara Stanwyck and Otto Kruger fall in love at first sight, and once her family gets over the fact that he's a foreigner, they get married. Otto is a respected teacher and lecturer, and in an extremely touching scene, he celebrates getting his American citizenship with his family and friends. At the end of the scene, the party still continues into the wee hours of the morning, and the paperboy tosses a newspaper onto the front porch. The headline reads "Lusitania Sinks". The happy days for Barbara and Otto are about to dwindle.

Once again, there are some pretty sad parts to this movie. Barbara and Otto have a tender, loving relationship in the first half of the film, but when the prejudice affects their family, their lives get torn apart. Even with the strong social message, there is a bit of German prejudice still present in the screenplay, as if Hollywood couldn't let Otto be a completely good guy. Overall, it's nice to see Barbara Stanwyck in a role that utilizes her sweetness and toughness all at once; just be prepared for some drama.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to an upsetting scene involved with an animal, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

Another Weeper

[boblipton · 6/10 · 8 April 2002]

A well-intentioned but predictable soap opera. Although the script is better than most of Miss Stanwyck's roles of the period, this story, like most of her early roles, creaks, this time with unhappy sincerity and an over-the-top ending. The direction is capably handled and the cast is excellent. Otto Kruger, best known these days for his suave Hitchcockian villains, gets to play her sympathetic co-star.

Not quite so dear to my heart

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 13 April 2020]

1933's 'Ever in My Heart' is one of the wonderful Barbara Stanwyck's three (?) collaborations with the able if variable Archie Mayo. Alongside 1931's 'Illicit' and 1934's 'Gambling Lady'. None of the three are among the best of either Stanwyck or Mayo and personally don't consider either particularly great, though still watchable, films. Really was intrigued by the difficult subject matter and it is always interesting seeing pre-code films, even if quality-wise they varied.

'Ever in My Heart' also had an atypically cast Otto Kruger and always worth watching Ralph Bellamy, though his role didn't sound very interesting to me. So there was a good deal going for it. While appreciating very much its good intentions and finding a lot to like, 'Ever in My Heart' could have been quite a lot better than it was. Everybody involved did better work in other films that played to their strengths more, and the second half in particular needed more work.

The biggest strength is the performances, which are great. Especially from steely and touching Stanwyck and surprisingly warm Kruger, considering his usual roles where he is a lot colder (types of roles, not type of acting). Bellamy does what he can and Ruth Donnelly commands the screen whenever she appears.

It is beautifully shot and designed, and very capably (even if not one of his most distinguished directing jobs) directed by Mayo. The music doesn't overbear while the script is sincere and well-intentioned. 'Ever in My Heart' is very moving in spots and has a genuine honesty, and the first half an hour shows a lot of promise.

Sadly, the story also tends to be creaky and has draggy and not always cohesive stretches. It has an incomplete or choppy feel at times, transitions between scenes giving the impression that some content was missing that was meant to be there but didn't make it. Motivations and such would have been less vague if left intact.

Bellamy's role is pretty bland and thankless, though Bellamy extracts as much as he can from it. The ending is far too over-the-top and melodrama is stretched to breaking point. The film did feel too short at just over an hour, it needed a longer length to fill in the gaps.

All in all, decent enough but the promising first half an hour is not matched by the rest of the film. 6/10

A Treasure

[jhnhnngn · 10/10 · 12 July 2002]

No actress was ever more beautiful than Barbara Stanwyck in this film. Corny as can be, but I could watch it a thousand times. I wanted to show it in my American History class but don't know where to rent it. I was born in 1948 and this pix made me fall in love with a woman born in 1905 or 1907, and who has been dead 10 years. This is a real American treasure.

A strange case of anti-German propaganda released in an ironic year.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 15 May 2018]

The same year that Adolph Hitler became chancellor of Germany, Warner Brothers released this movie set during the days just before World War I where young Barbara Stanwyck, preparing to marry the handsome Ralph Bellamy, falls in love at first sight with his German born pal Otto Kruger. Bellamy is out and Kruger is the one who waits for her to walk down the aisle, much to the disgust of her prejudiced family. Perhaps there's good reason, as the marriage seems to fail, and Kruger suddenly disappears, just as the Lusitania is sunk and war is declared. Stanwyck ends up working in France along side Bellamy and suddenly recognizes a rather sullen soldier to be her estranged husband, with the revelation of where his loyalties lie and the decision she makes to change the destinies of both of them, as well as the war itself.

This is perhaps the only film where Otto Kruger played the leading male part, and while he is a fine character actor, a romantic idol he is not. He played ruthless businessmen, generous doctors and best friends very well, but I didn't for one minute believe that there would be a spark between him and Stanwyck. Unlike other older actors she's been paired with in other films, there's supposed to be a heat between them to generate some sort of passion, but even the staid Bellamy has more passion than Kruger can generate. Even stranger, there's an almost incestuous like relationship between Stanwyck and her brother (Frank Albertson) who seems to become insanely jealous of the "passion" between Stanwyck and Kruger.

Looking nothing like her Aunt Pitty Pat, Laura Hope Crews wears much aged make-up to play Stanwyck's imperious grandmother. Ruth Donnelly, Clara Blandick, Nella Walker and Virginia Howell play domestics or other relatives. Ironically, Blandick (like Bellamy in the Frank Capra film "Forbidden") had played a villainous role opposite Stanwyck the year before in "Shopworn", but here, she is much kinder and supportive. This is unfortunately a weird film that doesn't quite express an anti-war sentiment but gives a paranoia about German immigrants that would grow increasingly stronger over the next few years as Hitler's agenda became obvious and the world headed into another war. Stanwyck gives her typically sincere performance, but the stunning ending sort of came out of nowhere, leaving me completely disappointed over the rest of the film that didn't generate the needed heat to deserve such a surprising twist.

Miss Stanwyck as everyman's girl.

[jhnhnngn · 10/10 · 26 July 2002]

Soap Operalike, yes. Weepy eyed, yes. Over the top, yes. Cornball to the hilt, yes. But, Barbara Stanwyck was absolutely beautiful in this film. No one can watch this and not fall in love with her. The rest of the cast was good too, but I was totally engrossed in her performance.

Unexpected theme

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 16 July 2018]

A rather silly melodramatic ending spoils this Warner Brothers feature about the unreasoning prejudice against German Americans during World War I. As we learned more and more of Adolph Hitler's intentions you can bet that Jack, Harry, and Albert shelved this particular item.

At the turn of the last century Barbara Stanwyck meets and marries German immigrant Otto Kruger and at first they're happy. Kruger in fact has a good job teaching chemistry at a college.

All that changes when World War I starts and Stanwyck and Kruger suffer a series of setbacks and tragedies culminating with Kruger losing his citizenship and being deported. Sound familiar?

And then the two meet again in France during the war. What happens I won't reveal, but it's kind of off the wall. I guess the moral of the story was don't marry a German.

Stanwyck delivers a good performance and Kruger underplays his tragic role beautifully. Still I think this film deserved a better ending.

Ever In My Heart - Evergreen Material

[krocheav · 8/10 · 4 July 2020]

It was odd to find this title added to a 'Forbidden Hollywood' volume, it's quite a classic love story. Regardless of Stanwyck's opinion of her early Warner/Vitaphone pictures this is quite a surprising movie on several levels, and she is dazzling throughout. Its theme of propaganda, national bias and social intolerance remains strong and timely for many people to this day.

For its age, it remains good looking, even if a bit obvious by today's standards. Many moving and serious situations play-out in its WW1 setting making this a forgotten gem - deserving to be seen by lovers of vintage classics. With a true Shakespearian ending, veteran director Archie Mayo and Si/Early Sound Cinematographer Arthur Todd, fill its fast moving short running time with stylish visual class.

The WB Archive transfer DVD is good looking with fine sound