The World Moves On (1934)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Reginald Berkeley (screenplay)
Reginald Berkeley (story)

Release Date:

31 August 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance | War

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Mussolini | Hitler | Ship Sinking | Partnership | Prisoner Of War

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Madeleine Carroll	...	Mrs. Warburton, 1825 / Mary Warburton Girard, 1914
Franchot Tone	...	Richard Girard
Reginald Denny	...	Erik von Gerhardt
Sig Ruman	...	Baron von Gerhardt (as Siegfried Rumann)
Louise Dresser	...	Baroness von Gerhardt
Raul Roulien	...	Carlos Girard (1825) / Henri Girard (1914)
Stepin Fetchit	...	Dixie
Lumsden Hare	...	Gabriel Warburton (1825) / Sir John Warburton (1914)
Dudley Digges	...	Mr. Manning
Frank Melton	...	John Girard (1825)
Brenda Fowler	...	Madame Agnes Girard (1825)
Russell Simpson	...	Notary (1825)
Walter McGrail	...	The Duallist (1825)
Marcelle Corday	...	Madame Girard II (1914)
Charles Bastin	...	Jacques Girard, the Boy (1914)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #1)

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

This was the first film to be granted the production seal of approval under new guidelines set forth by the Production Code Administration Office and the Motion Picture Producers and Directors of America. The modern US ratings system continued this numbering scheme, which granted certificates to over 40,000 films by the mid-2000s.

Movie Connections:

Features Croix de bois, Les (1932)

Soundtrack:

Should She Desire Me Not

Stilted drama: for fans of Madeleine Carroll only.

Starting in the Civil War South like an across-the-generations romance in the manner of SMILIN' THROUGH, this stilted drama then slogs through World War I and the Great Depression like an American CAVALCADE. John Ford effectively showcases the luminous Madeleine Carroll [including a QUEEN CHRISTINA-like moment of gazing out to sea], but otherwise directs with little commitment to the material. Franchot Tone conveys zero chemistry with his leading lady, so he just goes through the motions, while Ford favorite Stepin Fetchit works his offensive "shuffling darkie" routine, but in Paris. The screenplay seems especially turgid since the situations are arbitrary and reveal little about the characters. Despite an occasional imaginative touch, this all makes for a long 107 minutes.