The farewell.
A Farewell to Arms (1932) is the pre-code adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name.
Directed by Frank Borzage, and starring Gary Cooper, Helen Hayes, and Adolphe Menjou, it follows the story of an American ambulance driver, Frederick, who falls in love with a British nurse, Catherine, in Italy during World War One.
Although an adaptation of the famous 1929 Hemingway novel, the film takes a distinct Borzage turn into the romantic and tragic with stellar performances from Cooper and Hayes.
The film went on to be one of the highest grossing films of 1932 and was nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Picture). It won Charles Lang a statuette for Best Cinematography, and Franklin Hanser for Best Sound Recording.
David O. Selznick would go on to make the 1957 remake with Jennifer Jones and Rock Hudson but would prove to be a major flop.
The film shows the following tropes:
- The Alcoholic: Captain Rinaldi. And Frederick isn’t far behind.
- Adaptation Distillation: Much of Hemingway’s novel was shorten down for the sake of the expansion of the love story. For example, the idyllic time spent in Switzerland as per the novel never happens in the movie. Although the film has plenty to say about War Is Hell, it doesn’t quite hit the same notes as the novel.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Played With: When Catherine is dying, she asks for her makeup bag, noting that Frederick doesn’t like seeing her “pale,” but by the end, she looks tired and withered, begging to live.
- Bowdlerization: Catherine’s childbirth scenes were much more graphic than what’s in the final cut, but to meet the censorship regulations, her labour groans and other more realistic scenes were taken out.
- Death by Childbirth: Catherine hemorrhages to death after the birth of her stillborn.
- Death Is Dramatic: Taken a step further with Wagner’s “Liebestod” playing and climaxing in all its beauty as the armistice is announced while Catherine is dying.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Catherine dies in Frederick’s arms.
- Downer Ending: Catherine and her baby die.
- Hope Spot: Catherine and Frederick dream of a home and children after the war.
- I Never Got Any Letters: Happens to both Frederick and Catherine. Frederick’s letters are all censored and unsent (because Rinaldi hates seeing him lovesick) while Catherine’s are all return to sender. When she goes to the post office to see if she’s received any, she faints when all 32 have been returned.
- The Lady's Favour: When Frederick returns to the hospital to say goodbye to Catherine, she gives him her necklace of St. Anthony, saying that she hopes it will bring him luck.
- Manly Tears: Knowing that Catherine is in labour and in danger, Frederick weeps and prays to God, hoping that he doesn’t take her.
- Meet Cute: Although they had a passing look in one instance, Frederick and Catherine don’t meet until an air raid when the drunken Frederick mistakes Catherine for a prostitute (and the foot) he was fondling.
- Metaphorical Marriage: The priest knows Catherine and Frederick are in love but can’t marry (army regulations), so he goes through the marriage service under his breath. Although he specifically states that it’s not legal, Catherine and Frederick take it as one and are thrilled by it.
- Montage: When Frederick runs away from the Red Cross, he marches alongside civilians and witnesses up front the horrors of war in a montage of hell.
- My Secret Pregnancy: When Catherine finds out she’s pregnant, she runs away from the hospital to have her baby without the scandal she witnessed another nurse go through at the beginning of the film.
- Not So Stoic: Frederick completely breaks down when Catherine is going through childbirth, and he’s absolutely destroyed when she dies.
- P.O.V. Cam: When Frederick is injured during a bombing raid, his arrival to a hospital is from his POV. His meeting with Catherine is also in his POV and she comes running to him and fills the entire screen.
- The Remake: Remade in 1957 with Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones.
- Second Love: Catherine was in love with a boy from her hometown, and as she puts it “they blew him to bits” even though she “had it to do over again, I’d marry him… or anything.”
- Secret Relationship: Catherine and Frederick must keep their relationship secret because it could a) ruin Catherine’s reputation (they are having sex), and b) it’s against regulations.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Frederick leaves the Red Cross (punishable by death) when he’s sick with worry about not receiving any letters from Catherine. He deserts his station in search of her because the war no longer means anything without her.
- Sexy Discretion Shot: After their “marriage”, both Frederick and Catherine remark that it’s their wedding night. As such, Catherine kisses Frederick and jumps on the bed. Cue the camera panning to the window and balcony.
- Stigmatic Pregnancy Euphemism: Catherine goes away to Switzerland for her health...
- Train-Station Goodbye: Averted: Frederick insists that Catherine doesn’t see him go off and make any type of scene. However, she secretly watches him go because she plans to go to Switzerland to have her baby.
- Verbal Tic: Rinaldi has a habit of calling Frederick “baby”.
- War Is Hell: Love in the time of war may be worse. As Catherine puts it “There’s a war on. Tonight who cares, and tomorrow who knows.”
