The Citadel (1938)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Awesome Movie

The acting in this movie is really good.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

While watching this version of an A.J. Cronin novel, I couldn't help seeing how closely it compared to a later work by Morton Thompson called "Not As A Stranger." Both films showed how a hard-working, idealistic young man loses his sense of values until a tragic mistake during an operation in which he loses his best friend makes him realize how lost he is. In "Not as a Stranger" the doctor returns to the forgiving arms of his wife. In "The Citadel" there's a more ambiguous scene in which the conflicts are never really resolved and some would find the ending somewhat flawed.But there's no doubt about the fine performances of Robert Donat and Rosalind Russell. She gives the film the warmth it needs and is the first to sense that he's losing his moral compass when he talks of becoming a society doctor.Small supporting cast roles by Emlyn Williams, Ralph Richardson and Rex Harrison are a delight to behold. King Vidor directed and got the most out of all the dramatic moments but could have injected some lighter moments in a script that is really much too grim.Summing up: Uneven melodrama but worth watching for the performances.

Quite a strong film towards the end, it has some bravura sequences, including a segment where the protagonist wanders through the streets, the film is however rather tame by standards today, and for the most part, it is not all that brilliant. The fable structure works out for the better by the end, but it is conventional film-making in the along the way. The romantic love interest is quite obvious and the film lacks excitement. It is nevertheless very well acted by Robert Donat throughout, even though his accent - which tends to vary - provides an awkward distraction from the plot. It is certainly okay stuff to watch overall, even with an unnecessary final scene that pushes the messages too far.

If you look at my review of the Samuel Goldwyn - John Ford version of ARROWSMITH (1932) I pointed out that the real hard hitting attack on the worst abuses of the training of doctors in the United States and the ambition, greed, and rivalries that mar the medical profession in this country were discarded for the most part when that film was made. Fortunately, six years later, this wonderful film was made by King Vidor on a similarly critical novel by the English writer A. J. Cronin (THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM, HATTER'S CASTLE). Cronin usually was not, like Sinclair Lewis, a social critic - he was a general novelist. But in THE CITADEL he turned perceptive social critic. Like Lewis (in his novel) the society is just as guilty about the malfunctions of the medical profession as the doctors are. But here it was spelled out.Robert Donat is a newly trained doctor in England, and he initially is quite the idealist as Ronald Colman was as Martin Arrowsmith. Donat's Dr. Andrew Manson tries to fight society for it's own good, but finds it has a habit of hitting back at idealists. Soon, despite the emotional support of his wife Christine (Rosalind Russell), Andrew discovers the pleasures of becoming a prosperous society doctor. He has such wonderful models before him - like Rex Harrison, who talks of the "heart of gold" of his patients in reference to their bank accounts rather than their personalities (Harrison, in his autobiography REX, admitted that he got into serious trouble with his personal doctor after the latter heard that line and confronted him at Rex's next examination). His best friend and colleague (Dr. Denny - Ralph Richardson) tries to get him to work with a set of idealistic doctors in making a first rate, reasonably priced clinic for the poor and working classes, but Donat rejects the offer. He also turns out to be cold towards the plea of the owner of an Italian restaurant for help for her little daughter (although he is aware of an odd-ball genius who can help the girl with a radical surgery technique). It is only when a tragedy occurs that he is shaken out of his current complacency back to his duty as a healer.It is regrettable that ARROWSMITH was badly butchered in it's script and production, but it is to be thoroughly commended that this excellent version of THE CITADEL exists to show how the first novel should have been handled.

This has been the second film i've seen of king vidor, the first being duel in the sun and the next being stella dallas. Robert Donat and Rosalind Russell both give good performances, but the last scene of the movie feels tacked on and unnecessary.