"Arise, My Love" is billed as a comedy-romance and drama. But, this film is as much a war story for its time and setting. A blossoming love is the core of the film, around which a myriad of small adventures and escapades coalesce. Indeed, the setting of early wartime Europe provides the basis for the love story. The humor is peppered throughout the film, mostly with its main characters. And like other films of this period - from the early months before to the start of WW II, this movie gives a look at the news media of the day and the American news sources in Europe.
Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland are excellent in their roles of Augusta Nash and Tom Martin. "Gusto" Nash gives another side plot view of a woman striving for a professional career above all else. Walter Abel is excellent as the Associated News Agency European chief, Phillips, and adds to much of the humor. Colbert and Milland work well, and have a good chemistry that makes their roles believable as they segue from the humorous to the serious and a deep love. The rest of the supporting cast are fine, but beyond Phillips, few other roles have much substance. This is a film that is heavily weighted with the two leads and leading supporting role of Abel's.
The production values and direction are very good in handling a fairly complex script with so many deviations and diversions. The script is mostly very good, but toward the end it skips over a chapter in which Tom is injured while flying against the Germans in Norway.
The film has a lot of action, and touches on several historical events, albeit with the fictional characters involved. Nash rescues Martin from a Spanish firing squad in a clever plot. The two commandeer a plane on the ground and flee pursuing fighter planes. Later, they are among the survivors of the British passenger ship, Athenia. A German submarine torpedoed the ship off the Coast of Ireland on Sept. 2, 1939. It was the first hostile action on the seas by Germany, even before the official start of WW II. The scenes filmed of the rescued lifeboats are quite dramatic on the Irish coastline.
Tom and Gusto were on the ship after the U. S. government urged Americans to return home following Germany's conquest of France. Deeply in love, the couple plan to marry and contribute to the war effort back home. Instead of flying fighter planes and reporting the war headlines, they will take safer jobs where they can be together in Cleveland. Onboard the Athenia, they toasted farewell to their former selves - fighter pilot Tom Martin, and big name reporter Gusto Nash, and tossed the champagne glasses overboard. Now, on the beach after their rescue, as they decide to stay, Gusto says, "God knew better. He threw us right back at them."
This movie premiered on Oct 17, 1940, in America - more than a year before the U. S. would enter World War II. It covers just a short period from after the Spanish Civil War (April 1939) through the fall of France in May of 1940. It's one of the few American films made well before the U. S. entered WW II, and it doesn't hold back on the criticism of Nazi Germany, expressed mostly by Milland's character, Tom Martin.
With it's bouncing around from one place and event to another, "Arise, My Love" may lose some viewers. Those who know a little history of the time will find the details more interesting. But, history knowledge or not, most viewers should enjoy this film. It has adventure, humor, romance, and the early stages of war. The title for the film comes from the Bible. Tom tells Gusto that he says this short prayer whenever he takes a plane up. It comes from Song of Solomon, Verse 2:13b: "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."
Here are some favorite lines from this film.
Augusta Nash, "That's an awful lot of l'amour." Tom Martin, "I was in jail for a long time."
Gusto Nash, "Oh, I wasn't expecting you." Mr. Phillips, "Who the heck were you expecting, Jack the Ripper?"
Tom Martin, "Ever notice how these European trains always smell of Eau de Cologne and hard-boiled eggs?"
Gusto Nash, "Thomas Martin, you're crazy." Tom Martin, "Crazy? How?" Gusto Nash, "Running after me." Tom Martin, "I'm not running after you. Just happen to be going over the same track, in the same train, in the same direction."
Gusto Nash, "Don't you think we'd better get back to the inn? What will they think?" Tom Martin, "Oh, nothing. It's a French inn."
Gusto Nash, "We hid in the clouds - a sanctuary of whipped cream." Tom Marti, "Is that the sort of stuff you write, Augusta?"
Tom Martin, "Same hair, same cheek bones. Just what I said -- precisely my type." Gusto Nash, "Listen, honey, after 10 months in jail, anything would be your type - a St. Bernard."
Gusto Nash, "L'amour." Tom Martin, "All right, l'amour. I'm devoting my first evening to it. And my second, my third and my fourth."
Gusto Nash, "You know, when we were in that plane, I had a hunch you were a stinker. Now I'm sure of it."
Gusto Nash, dancing with Tom, "Say, you're not bad at all". Tom Martin, "Yeah? Wait'll I hit an air pocket."
Gusto Nash, "Are they after us?" Tom Martin, "They're not looking for bird nests."
Gusto Nash, "Thomas Martin - what was that middle name of yours?" Tom Martin, "Thomas Fuller Martin, also known as Thomas Fulla Malarky." Gusto Nash, "I'll bet."
Tom Martin, "Yeah, when was it? Only yesterday we thought we could throw two people overboard, with their ambitions, their big dreams." Gusto Nash, "God knew better. He threw us right back after them". Martin, "Yeah!"
Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland are excellent in their roles of Augusta Nash and Tom Martin. "Gusto" Nash gives another side plot view of a woman striving for a professional career above all else. Walter Abel is excellent as the Associated News Agency European chief, Phillips, and adds to much of the humor. Colbert and Milland work well, and have a good chemistry that makes their roles believable as they segue from the humorous to the serious and a deep love. The rest of the supporting cast are fine, but beyond Phillips, few other roles have much substance. This is a film that is heavily weighted with the two leads and leading supporting role of Abel's.
The production values and direction are very good in handling a fairly complex script with so many deviations and diversions. The script is mostly very good, but toward the end it skips over a chapter in which Tom is injured while flying against the Germans in Norway.
The film has a lot of action, and touches on several historical events, albeit with the fictional characters involved. Nash rescues Martin from a Spanish firing squad in a clever plot. The two commandeer a plane on the ground and flee pursuing fighter planes. Later, they are among the survivors of the British passenger ship, Athenia. A German submarine torpedoed the ship off the Coast of Ireland on Sept. 2, 1939. It was the first hostile action on the seas by Germany, even before the official start of WW II. The scenes filmed of the rescued lifeboats are quite dramatic on the Irish coastline.
Tom and Gusto were on the ship after the U. S. government urged Americans to return home following Germany's conquest of France. Deeply in love, the couple plan to marry and contribute to the war effort back home. Instead of flying fighter planes and reporting the war headlines, they will take safer jobs where they can be together in Cleveland. Onboard the Athenia, they toasted farewell to their former selves - fighter pilot Tom Martin, and big name reporter Gusto Nash, and tossed the champagne glasses overboard. Now, on the beach after their rescue, as they decide to stay, Gusto says, "God knew better. He threw us right back at them."
This movie premiered on Oct 17, 1940, in America - more than a year before the U. S. would enter World War II. It covers just a short period from after the Spanish Civil War (April 1939) through the fall of France in May of 1940. It's one of the few American films made well before the U. S. entered WW II, and it doesn't hold back on the criticism of Nazi Germany, expressed mostly by Milland's character, Tom Martin.
With it's bouncing around from one place and event to another, "Arise, My Love" may lose some viewers. Those who know a little history of the time will find the details more interesting. But, history knowledge or not, most viewers should enjoy this film. It has adventure, humor, romance, and the early stages of war. The title for the film comes from the Bible. Tom tells Gusto that he says this short prayer whenever he takes a plane up. It comes from Song of Solomon, Verse 2:13b: "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."
Here are some favorite lines from this film.
Augusta Nash, "That's an awful lot of l'amour." Tom Martin, "I was in jail for a long time."
Gusto Nash, "Oh, I wasn't expecting you." Mr. Phillips, "Who the heck were you expecting, Jack the Ripper?"
Tom Martin, "Ever notice how these European trains always smell of Eau de Cologne and hard-boiled eggs?"
Gusto Nash, "Thomas Martin, you're crazy." Tom Martin, "Crazy? How?" Gusto Nash, "Running after me." Tom Martin, "I'm not running after you. Just happen to be going over the same track, in the same train, in the same direction."
Gusto Nash, "Don't you think we'd better get back to the inn? What will they think?" Tom Martin, "Oh, nothing. It's a French inn."
Gusto Nash, "We hid in the clouds - a sanctuary of whipped cream." Tom Marti, "Is that the sort of stuff you write, Augusta?"
Tom Martin, "Same hair, same cheek bones. Just what I said -- precisely my type." Gusto Nash, "Listen, honey, after 10 months in jail, anything would be your type - a St. Bernard."
Gusto Nash, "L'amour." Tom Martin, "All right, l'amour. I'm devoting my first evening to it. And my second, my third and my fourth."
Gusto Nash, "You know, when we were in that plane, I had a hunch you were a stinker. Now I'm sure of it."
Gusto Nash, dancing with Tom, "Say, you're not bad at all". Tom Martin, "Yeah? Wait'll I hit an air pocket."
Gusto Nash, "Are they after us?" Tom Martin, "They're not looking for bird nests."
Gusto Nash, "Thomas Martin - what was that middle name of yours?" Tom Martin, "Thomas Fuller Martin, also known as Thomas Fulla Malarky." Gusto Nash, "I'll bet."
Tom Martin, "Yeah, when was it? Only yesterday we thought we could throw two people overboard, with their ambitions, their big dreams." Gusto Nash, "God knew better. He threw us right back after them". Martin, "Yeah!"