The White Cliffs of Dover (1944)

London based American nurse, Susan, Lady Ashwood, is at the hospital awaiting the imminent arrival of injured soldiers. She is hoping that her enlisted son, Sir John Ashwood, who resembles ... 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
May Whitty	...	Nanny (as Dame May Whitty)
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, Susan, Lady Ashwood, is at the hospital awaiting the imminent arrival of injured soldiers. She is hoping that her enlisted son, Sir John Ashwood, 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, the previous Sir John Ashwood, 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 ...

---

Plot Keywords:

nurse | hospital | dover england | allies | war effort | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

---

Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

June 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Evocación

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, 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.

---

Quotes

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

---

Connections

Referenced in Déjà Vu (1997)

---

Soundtracks

The Stars and Stripes Forever
(1896) (uncredited)
Written by John Philip Sousa
Played by a marching band of doughboys in France during World War I
Reprised by G.I.'s in France during World War II

User Reviews

One of the best films of World War II

This is the story of an American woman who marries into a rich English family in the early part of the 20th Century. We become involved in her experiences during the World Wars and see how these conflicts affect her family.

Produced while the Second World War was still being fought, this film was intended to be both a morale booster for American audiences and as a salute to our British allies.

The film boasts a great cast, each perfect in their role. Irene Dunne is the American lady; Alan Marshal the dashing knight she marries. Roddy McDowall & Peter Lawford portray their only son at different ages. Bumptious Frank Morgan is Dunne's irascible father; Dame Gladys Cooper is Marshal's aristocratic mother. Dame May Witty is the sweet old nurse. Van Johnson is a young American friend headed for war. Norma Varden is the proprietress of a London boarding house. John Warburton, Jill Esmond & Brenda Forbes are various English relatives. Wonderful old Sir C. Aubrey Smith is an opinionated retired Major.

In the unbilled cast, film mavens should be able to spot George Davis, Tom Drake, Ethel Griffies, Lumsden Hare, Doris Lloyd, June Lockhart, Arthur Shields, a young Dame Elizabeth Taylor & Ian Wolfe.

More than a MRS. MINIVER wannabe, THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER has a charm all its own.