Cavalcade is a story of patriotism, pacifism, and the erosion of social classes in post-Victorian England, covering the period from New Year’s Eve, 1899, to the same date in 1932. Along the way, the film shows the effect of monumental historical events - the Boer War, Queen Victoria’s death, World War I, technological advancements, and the Jazz Age - on English society in general and two families in particular.
One family is the upper crust Marryots. The head of the family, Robert (Clive Brook), is a stiff upper lip Englishman who believes the future will always be bright if one remembers his duty to country. He is devoted to his two sons, Edward and Joe (John Warburton, Frank Lawton), and to his wife Jane (Diana Wynyard), who is a fatalist by nature and does not share her husband‘s optimistic outlook.
The other family, Alfred and Ellen Bridges (played nicely by Herbert Mundin and Una O‘Connor), are the head servants of the Marryots and have, at the beginning of the movie, an infant daughter, Fannie. Although maintaining a cordial relationship with their employers despite the obvious difference in their social positions, the Bridges still dream of a more independent future, hoping to eventually own a pub.
Diana Wynyard, a highly respected British stage actress, is unable to overcome her theatrical habits playing the matriarch of the Maryot family. She often stares into the camera as if it were her audience and her movements, facial expressions, and speaking voice are often exaggerated.
Not surprisingly, her two best scenes are when her gestures are muted and she does not speak. Both are during the WW I sequence. The first is when Jane reluctantly sees son Joe off to France and then silently observes wounded soldiers being returned home. The second is after Joe’s death shortly before Armistice Day when she wanders dazed through Trafalgar Square in the midst of a celebrating crowd.
As the patriarch of the family, Clive Brook is not given much to work with. His “Britannia Over All” persona makes him too much of a one-dimensional character, the script never allowing him to show any grief and little happiness as he witnesses the events around him.
Herbert Mundin and Una O’Connor as the Bridges both give good performances. He is entirely believable as the servant who becomes a Boer War hero and fulfills his dream of being a tavern keeper, only to destroy his life by becoming a bitter alcoholic. O’Connor, who often played humorous, neurotic servants (The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein) shows her serious side as she skillfully handles her character’s transition from domestic to becoming a member of the newly emerging English middle class.
A nice turn is also given by Ursula Jeans as the grown up Fanny Bridges. Her “live for the moment,” selfish character as a music hall performer becomes a symbol for the Roaring Twenties.
Despite winning an Oscar for his efforts, many of the weaknesses of Cavalcade can be laid at the feet of director Frank Lloyd. The adapted screenplay contains hardly any of Noel Coward’s famed wit and what little there is fails to come across. Some of the dialogue is artificial and is only emphasized by the grand manner in which it is delivered.
The movie, regrettably, delivers little emotional impact. The deaths of Alfred, Edward, and Joe and the effect that it has upon others have little effect upon a present day viewer. In part, this is because their deaths, particularly those of the two sons, are predictable well in advance.
There is also an unevenness in pacing and production values. The events from 1899 to 1918 make up the majority of the film while the next fifteen years are rapidly passed over. The production, which often features meticulous sets and costumes, also has moments of cost-cutting. There are grand crowd scenes, but yet Queen Victoria’s funeral is only captured by the reactions of the Marryots as they watch the procession pass unseen to the viewer below their balcony.
Lloyd also relies on several montages which have varying degrees of success. A sequence showing the decadence and turmoil of the 1920s climaxed by Fannie singing “20th Century Blues” is quite good. However, the frequent intercutting of riders on horseback, representing the passage of time, is too repetitive. A looping of the same soldiers marching and dying as each year of World War I is slowly superimposed on the screen becomes annoying.
The film appears on almost every list of worse movies to win best picture and is often ridiculed. Some of the scoffing is unfair. Although it is certainly one of the lesser films to win the Oscar, it is not a poor movie when seen in its historical context and as an early example of a family saga.
Despite featuring a primarily British cast and having a definite British feel, contemporary American audiences were still able to identify with the movie since many of the panoramic changes that had and were transforming England also had and were transforming America. The result was that Cavalcade became the box office hit of 1933.
The movie also reflected the way that America was looking at its place in the world. It is no coincidence that half of the first six Oscar winning best pictures – Wings, All Quiet on the Western Front, and this film – were all, to varying degrees, anti-war movies. In its small way, Cavalcade reinforced the idea of isolationism that took root after the Great War and would grow even stronger through the remainder of the 1930s
A Saga of Two Families
One family is the upper crust Marryots. The head of the family, Robert (Clive Brook), is a stiff upper lip Englishman who believes the future will always be bright if one remembers his duty to country. He is devoted to his two sons, Edward and Joe (John Warburton, Frank Lawton), and to his wife Jane (Diana Wynyard), who is a fatalist by nature and does not share her husband‘s optimistic outlook.
The other family, Alfred and Ellen Bridges (played nicely by Herbert Mundin and Una O‘Connor), are the head servants of the Marryots and have, at the beginning of the movie, an infant daughter, Fannie. Although maintaining a cordial relationship with their employers despite the obvious difference in their social positions, the Bridges still dream of a more independent future, hoping to eventually own a pub.
The Acting in Cavalcade
Diana Wynyard, a highly respected British stage actress, is unable to overcome her theatrical habits playing the matriarch of the Maryot family. She often stares into the camera as if it were her audience and her movements, facial expressions, and speaking voice are often exaggerated.
Not surprisingly, her two best scenes are when her gestures are muted and she does not speak. Both are during the WW I sequence. The first is when Jane reluctantly sees son Joe off to France and then silently observes wounded soldiers being returned home. The second is after Joe’s death shortly before Armistice Day when she wanders dazed through Trafalgar Square in the midst of a celebrating crowd.
As the patriarch of the family, Clive Brook is not given much to work with. His “Britannia Over All” persona makes him too much of a one-dimensional character, the script never allowing him to show any grief and little happiness as he witnesses the events around him.
Herbert Mundin and Una O’Connor as the Bridges both give good performances. He is entirely believable as the servant who becomes a Boer War hero and fulfills his dream of being a tavern keeper, only to destroy his life by becoming a bitter alcoholic. O’Connor, who often played humorous, neurotic servants (The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein) shows her serious side as she skillfully handles her character’s transition from domestic to becoming a member of the newly emerging English middle class.
A nice turn is also given by Ursula Jeans as the grown up Fanny Bridges. Her “live for the moment,” selfish character as a music hall performer becomes a symbol for the Roaring Twenties.
The Technical Aspects of the Movie
Despite winning an Oscar for his efforts, many of the weaknesses of Cavalcade can be laid at the feet of director Frank Lloyd. The adapted screenplay contains hardly any of Noel Coward’s famed wit and what little there is fails to come across. Some of the dialogue is artificial and is only emphasized by the grand manner in which it is delivered.
The movie, regrettably, delivers little emotional impact. The deaths of Alfred, Edward, and Joe and the effect that it has upon others have little effect upon a present day viewer. In part, this is because their deaths, particularly those of the two sons, are predictable well in advance.
There is also an unevenness in pacing and production values. The events from 1899 to 1918 make up the majority of the film while the next fifteen years are rapidly passed over. The production, which often features meticulous sets and costumes, also has moments of cost-cutting. There are grand crowd scenes, but yet Queen Victoria’s funeral is only captured by the reactions of the Marryots as they watch the procession pass unseen to the viewer below their balcony.
Lloyd also relies on several montages which have varying degrees of success. A sequence showing the decadence and turmoil of the 1920s climaxed by Fannie singing “20th Century Blues” is quite good. However, the frequent intercutting of riders on horseback, representing the passage of time, is too repetitive. A looping of the same soldiers marching and dying as each year of World War I is slowly superimposed on the screen becomes annoying.
Why Cavalcade Is Still Worth Watching
The film appears on almost every list of worse movies to win best picture and is often ridiculed. Some of the scoffing is unfair. Although it is certainly one of the lesser films to win the Oscar, it is not a poor movie when seen in its historical context and as an early example of a family saga.
Despite featuring a primarily British cast and having a definite British feel, contemporary American audiences were still able to identify with the movie since many of the panoramic changes that had and were transforming England also had and were transforming America. The result was that Cavalcade became the box office hit of 1933.
The movie also reflected the way that America was looking at its place in the world. It is no coincidence that half of the first six Oscar winning best pictures – Wings, All Quiet on the Western Front, and this film – were all, to varying degrees, anti-war movies. In its small way, Cavalcade reinforced the idea of isolationism that took root after the Great War and would grow even stronger through the remainder of the 1930s
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