An interne witnesses the death of a young mother in a maternity hospital delivery room. Disturbed that he might have overlooked something that could have prevented the death, he goes to a ...
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Watch for Free: Pare Lorentz Films
13 June 2011 | International Documentary Association
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Title: The Fight for Life (1940)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
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Myron McCormick | ... | The Interne |
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Storrs Haynes | ... | The Teacher |
| Will Geer | ... | 2nd Teacher | |
| Dudley Digges | ... | Head Doctor | |
| Dorothy Adams | ... | The Young Woman | |
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Dorothy Urban | ... | The Grandmother |
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Effie Anderson | ... | The Receptionist |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
An interne witnesses the death of a young mother in a maternity hospital delivery room. Disturbed that he might have overlooked something that could have prevented the death, he goes to a maternity clinic in a city slum in order to learn more about the mortality of motherhood and to find new ways to prevent it. Written by Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>
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The Heart Picture of the Year! Out of the lives of a million mothers...comes this unforgettable picture..! See more »Certificate:
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Trivia
As revealed in "Ramblin' Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie" by Ed Cray, singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie had a small acting role in this movie, thanks to his friend Will Geer, who's also in it. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
7 March 1940 (USA) See more »Filming Locations:
Chicago Maternity Center, Chicago, Illinois, USACompany Credits
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Pare (`The Plow That Broke the Plain') Lorentz' try to break into Hollywood is unsatisfactory both as the medical training film that they seemed to think they were making and as drama. It stops half way through - presumably to make it a suitable length for a short and then starts up again with another home birth.
It is still interesting to watch all this talent stretching themselves - McCormick, later in `The Hustler', Crosby who filmed De Kruif's `Arrowsmith' and `High Noon' - not to mention the B movies of Maury Dexter and Roger Corman and Gruenberg who scored `All the Kings Men.'
A lot of the playing is stilted, even by skilled performers like Digges, and the film loses all credibility with its bloodless natal deliveries but the seriousness of purpose of the makers registers and their filming of the Chicago slums remains graphic and alarming.
Suzanne Davenport's 1977 "Chicago Maternity Hospital" gets stuck into this one mainly for it's not crediting female medicos with the achievement - other times, other customs!