The White Angel (1936)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

William Dieterle

Writers:

Mordaunt Shairp (screenplay)
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (poem)

Release Date:

4 July 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Typhoid Fever | Cholera | Reporter | Historical | Nurse

Cast

Kay Francis	...	Florence 'Flo' Nightingale
Ian Hunter	...	Reporter Fuller of the London Times
Donald Woods	...	Charles Cooper
Nigel Bruce	...	Dr. West
Donald Crisp	...	Dr. Hunt
Henry O'Neill	...	Dr. Scott
Billy Mauch	...	Tommy 'Tom', the Drummer Boy
Charles Croker-King	...	Mr. Nightingale
Phoebe Foster	...	Mrs. Elizabeth Herbert
George Curzon	...	Mr. Sidney Herbert
Georgia Caine	...	Mrs. Nightingale
Ara Gerald	...	Ella Stephens
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Lord Raglan
Eily Malyon	...	Sister Colomba (Sister Colombo in Credits)
Montagu Love	...	Mr. Bullock, Under Secretary of War

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #2075)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Much disagreement to the origin of the source material exists. Some contemporary sources believed the source was Lytton Strachey's 1918 biographical essay in "Eminent Victorians". Others contend Michael Jacoby was the author. Warner Bros. executive Hal B. Wallis contended that the life of Florence Nightingale was in the public domain, and that screenwriter Mordaunt Shairp did his own research. The MPAA agreed with Wallis; no source credit was necessary.

Movie Connections:

Version of Florence Nightingale (1985) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Auld Lang Syne

Quiet, Dignified Performance by Kay Francis in Good Biopic

The sharp, focused performance by Kay Francis carries this film into an impressive arena for its viewer. I've seen in several times and although Francis doesn't go into histrionics in her portrayal like some of the "greats" would -- Francis exemplifies the determination, courage, and humaness of one who "feels a calling". She never wavers in what she is about, frustrated but not discouraged, and Francis' subtlety emphasises these qualities. The beginning of the film offers Francis a chance to don the elegant gowns of the mid 1800's, but most of the film she's wearing a plain nurse's uniform and often looking quite drawn from the conflicts with male prejudice on the Crimean front and the squalid conditions that she faced in all directions. I don't know how historically accurate the film is, but it gets to the heart of the Nightingale story and what she was up against. Strong support from players like Donald Crisp and Ian Hunter add to the overall success.