Arrowsmith

John Ford wasn't, perhaps, the ideal director for the work of Sinclair Lewis. However, this sturdy adaptation of Lewis's novel benefits from a marvellous performance by Ronald Colman, starring as the idealistic doctor of the title who's seeking a cure for bubonic plague, the type of character who ever since has become a well-worn cliché. Colman brings a vivid, idealistic freshness to the part and single-handedly justifies this Samuel Goldwyn production. Helen Hayes suffers nobly as his wife, Leora, and a pre-stardom Myrna Loy excels as the bored society girl with whom Colman has a daring (for then) tropical fling. Critics agree that writer Sidney Howard jettisoned the novel's finer points, but nevertheless there's much here to enjoy and, despite its bleak ending, the film was a huge hit in its day.