The White Cliffs of Dover (1944)

London based American nurse, Lady Susan Ashwood née Dunn, is at the hospital awaiting the imminent arrival of injured soldiers. She is hoping that her enlisted son, Sir John Ashwood II, who... See full summary »

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Alice Duer Miller (poem), Claudine West (screenplay),

Stars:

Irene Dunne, Alan Marshal, Roddy McDowall

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Irene Dunne	...	Susan Ashwood
Alan Marshal	...	Sir John Ashwood
Roddy McDowall	...	John Ashwood II as a Boy
Frank Morgan	...	Hiram Porter Dunn
Van Johnson	...	Sam Bennett
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Colonel Walter Forsythe
Dame May Whitty	...	Nanny
Gladys Cooper	...	Lady Jean Ashwood
Peter Lawford	...	John Ashwood II as a Young Man
John Warburton	...	Reggie Ashwood
Jill Esmond	...	Rosamund
Brenda Forbes	...	Gwennie
Norma Varden	...	Mrs. Bland

Storyline

London based American nurse, Lady Susan Ashwood née Dunn, is at the hospital awaiting the imminent arrival of injured soldiers. She is hoping that her enlisted son, Sir John Ashwood II, who resembles his father both in appearance and temperament, is not among those injured. As she waits, she remembers back to WWI when her husband, Sir John Ashwood I, was enlisted, and the waiting she endured on any news from and about him while he was away in battle. From a humble background, Sue almost didn't meet Sir John let alone marry him as she and her father, Hiram Dunn, the publisher of a small daily newspaper, were only in London in April 1914 on a two week vacation - her first ever trip - that was not going very well when by happenstance she got invited on her last day in London to the king's ball, where Sir John was awaiting the arrival of another young woman with who he was supposed to keep company for the evening. Despite being mutually attracted to each other, the patriotic Sue didn't ...

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | nurse | war effort | war hero | marriage | 

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Taglines:

The greatest love story of our time! It will live forever in your heart! MGM's greatest triumph!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

June 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

As Rochas Brancas de Dover

Filming Locations:

Bradbury Building - 304 S. Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ronald Colman owned the rights to Alice Duer Miller's poem, but sold them to Clarence Brown, who in turn sold them and his services as director to M-G-M.

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Quotes

Susan Dunn's landlady: God will never forgive us, if we break faith with our dead again

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Connections

Referenced in Déjà Vu (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile!"
(1915) (uncredited)
Music by Felix Powell
Lyrics by George Asaf
In the score when Susan meets John in Dieppe

User Reviews

Beautiful film with a strong performance by Irene Dunne.

This film is both tender and powerful-with a very moving score. If, like me, you enjoy lying down at night just listening to the voices and music coming from an old classic film-this is the one for you. At the beginning when Ms. Dunne is telling her story and reflecting on her life in England-the music fits perfectly, the mood is wonderful, and her voice just makes you want to melt. Then, before you know it, even though you thought you just might want to "half" watch this film on a lazy night-you find yourself caught up in it all. The English/American bickering becomes quite funny, the romance, the war, the drama, the sadness, the next war... Irene Dunne at her best-and beautiful as ever-with that strange, knowing almost mischievous look in her eyes. I truly believe that films like these are healthy for us(sort of like watching fish in an aquarium-or shopping for antiques, petting a dog, etc.) Do yourself a favor and watch/listen to this lovely movie. If you're an Anglophile then you are really denying yourself a great pleasure by not seeing it.