IMDb RATING
5.8/10
6.1K
YOUR RATING
A portrayal of the triumphs and tragedies of two English families, the upper-crust Marryots and the working-class Bridgeses, from 1899 to 1933.A portrayal of the triumphs and tragedies of two English families, the upper-crust Marryots and the working-class Bridgeses, from 1899 to 1933.A portrayal of the triumphs and tragedies of two English families, the upper-crust Marryots and the working-class Bridgeses, from 1899 to 1933.
- Won 3 Oscars
- 5 wins & 2 nominations total
Dickie Henderson
- Master Edward
- (as Dick Henderson Jr.)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Best Picture Winners by Year
Best Picture Winners by Year
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe first film produced by Fox to win the Best Picture Oscar®.
- GoofsThe Titanic's port of registry was Liverpool, not Southampton.
- Quotes
Jane Marryot: There should never be any good reason for neglecting someone that you love.
- Alternate versionsThe Fox Movie Channel (FMC) broadcasts the British version of the film, which had fewer onscreen credits than the American version. (The last title card reads "Distributed by Fox Film Co. Ltd., 13 Berners St. London, W.") Omitted in the British version were credits for the assistant director, dialogue director, film editor and costumes. In addition, it specified that the film was based on Charles B. Cochran's Drury Lane production. The IMDb credits are based on the American version, as listed in the AFI Catalogue of Feature Films, 1931 - 1940, which they determined from the records of Twentieth Century-Fox legal department. The soundtrack may also have been different in these two versions. Performance data in the IMDb soundtrack listing, however, was compiled from the viewed British version.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Movies March On (1939)
- SoundtracksGod Save the King!
(uncredited)
Traditional
[Played during the opening credits and at the end]
Featured review
I enjoyed this film, not so much as a piece of entertainment that still holds up today, but as a moment frozen both in time and geography. Unlike "42nd Street" and "Dinner at Eight" which are other films from 1933 that I think most Americans would find very accessible today, you might not care for Cavalcade if you don't know what to look for.
This film is totally British in its perspective and it is also very much in the anti-war spirit that pervaded movies between 1925 and 1935 as WWI came to be seen by nearly all its global participants as a pointless war and caused everyone to lose their taste for fighting another.
The British perspective that you have to realize is that the Marryotts are accustomed to being on top - both in the world as England had dominated the globe for centuries, and socially, as they were part of the aristocracy. That didn't mean that they were snobs - they were very friendly and compassionate with their servants. But the point is, they were accustomed to the relationship being their choice and under their control. Suddenly England appears to be on the decline on the world stage and the servants they were so kind to are coming up in the world on their own and don't need their permission to enter society. Downstairs is coming upstairs, like it or not.
Downstairs is personified in this film by the Bridges family, Marryot servants that eventually strike out on their own and into business. Eventually the daughter, Fanny, enters into a romance with the Marryot's younger son. When Mrs. Marryot learns the news she is not so shocked as she is resigned to the fact that this is another sign that her world is slipping away. As for Fanny Bridges, she seems to personify post-war decadence as she grows from a child to full womanhood in the roaring 20's. At one point in the film, as a child, she literally dances on the grave of a loved one. This is not a good sign of things to come.
If the movie has a major flaw it is that it goes rather slowly through the years 1900 through 1918 and flies through the last fifteen years. Through a well-done montage you get a taste for what British life was like during that time - in many cases it looks like it was going through the same growing pains as American society during that same period - but it's only a taste.
Overall I'd recommend it, but just realize that it is quite different in style from American films from that same year.
This film is totally British in its perspective and it is also very much in the anti-war spirit that pervaded movies between 1925 and 1935 as WWI came to be seen by nearly all its global participants as a pointless war and caused everyone to lose their taste for fighting another.
The British perspective that you have to realize is that the Marryotts are accustomed to being on top - both in the world as England had dominated the globe for centuries, and socially, as they were part of the aristocracy. That didn't mean that they were snobs - they were very friendly and compassionate with their servants. But the point is, they were accustomed to the relationship being their choice and under their control. Suddenly England appears to be on the decline on the world stage and the servants they were so kind to are coming up in the world on their own and don't need their permission to enter society. Downstairs is coming upstairs, like it or not.
Downstairs is personified in this film by the Bridges family, Marryot servants that eventually strike out on their own and into business. Eventually the daughter, Fanny, enters into a romance with the Marryot's younger son. When Mrs. Marryot learns the news she is not so shocked as she is resigned to the fact that this is another sign that her world is slipping away. As for Fanny Bridges, she seems to personify post-war decadence as she grows from a child to full womanhood in the roaring 20's. At one point in the film, as a child, she literally dances on the grave of a loved one. This is not a good sign of things to come.
If the movie has a major flaw it is that it goes rather slowly through the years 1900 through 1918 and flies through the last fifteen years. Through a well-done montage you get a taste for what British life was like during that time - in many cases it looks like it was going through the same growing pains as American society during that same period - but it's only a taste.
Overall I'd recommend it, but just realize that it is quite different in style from American films from that same year.
- How long is Cavalcade?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,180,280 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 52 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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