The story is set in England during the first world war. Vivien Leigh is Myra, a beautiful ballerina, and Robert Taylor is Roy, a soldier home on brief leave. After a chance meeting in the middle of an air raid, the two fall in love and, in whirlwind fashion, plan to be married.
Unfortunately, before they are able to wed, Roy is called back to the front, and because she had missed a performance in order to bid Roy goodbye at the train station, Myra is fired from her job. A few months later, Roy is reported as having been killed in battle, and at this news, Myra spirals downward. Devastated by his death, without hope, and now jobless and destitute, she falls into prostitution.
In typical melodramatic fashion, of course, Roy is not dead at all, and he soon returns to town. Myra happens to run into him at the train station...as she is seeking that evening's pickup.
Amazingly, Roy has no idea that Myra is not the innocent girl she once was, and he fully intends to finalize their marriage plans. Alas, though, the shame over what she has become eats Myra alive.
Will Myra tell Roy of her actions during the war? Will it change his feelings for her? Will they get married after all? The answer to all those questions will play out in the remainder of this beautiful, but tragic, film.
This film is a remake of an early 30's film of the same name. I have never seen the original version, only this one, so I cannot compare the two. If any of you have ever seen the original, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it. This particular film is out on DVD and should be fairly easy to track down. Additionally, it is on the TCM schedule for Monday, November 5th, at 11:45 a.m. (ET). Do try to catch it if you can. I completely love this movie and deem it a definite must-see.
Happy viewing!!
That's a long way out but I'll give myself a reminder for this on TCM, it sounds wonderful! And seeing him and Vivien Leigh together...that alone makes me want to see it:)
ReplyDeleteNow I'm going to have the Abba song Waterloo stuck in my head all day...argghhh!!!
Oh, definitely get a reminder from TCM for this. It's wonderful. I completely love it. The only downside (for me) is Robert Taylor's silly mustache. I far prefer his gorgeous face clean-shaven.
DeleteI keep enjoying your reviews without commenting!! Hope all is well with you. We have been watching quite a few of your suggestions lately. This past weekend we watched "Sunrise" a silent film from 1927. To be honest, I only planned to watch a little of it thinking I'd be bored. No! I was even sad when it ended. The cinematography is wonderful and the actors were so good that I soon forgot it was silent.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
Bonnie, you have done something I have failed to do, and that is watch an entire silent film. I think you know my love for Gary Cooper, right? Even that love couldn't get me all the way through the silent film "Wings." I have yet to cultivate a taste for silents. Maybe one day.
DeleteI'm glad I've been able to suggest some films you've been interested in seeing. Hope you've enjoyed them all.
I love Robert Taylor and Vivien Leigh in this movie. Melodramatic, yes, but so well done. Always makes me a bit teary.
ReplyDeleteI complete and totally love melodrama. The more melodramatic, the more I love it. And, yes, this one always gets me teary as well. Actually, a bit more than teary. I quite cry in this film.
DeleteI love this movie! And Vivien is so good, it is amazing the transformation in her face in the station scene, when we discover that she isn't an innocent girl anymore, we can see the suffering in her face. I saw a remake from 1956 with Leslie Caron and John Kerr, named Gaby,but is not that good, they put a happy end.
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