Arrowsmith 1931

Arrowsmith

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Arrowsmith Photos

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Movie Info

In this adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Sinclair Lewis, Dr. Martin Arrowsmith (Ronald Colman) marries nurse Leora Tozer (Helen Hayes) and misses out on a position with the esteemed Prof. Max Gottlieb. When Swedish scientist Gustav Sondelius (Richard Bennett) invites Arrowsmith to help fight an outbreak of the bubonic plague in the West Indies, he must reconcile his desire for prestige and dedication to the scientific method with the needs of real people in pain.

Genre:

drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

John Ford
Release Date (Streaming):

Mar 27, 2020
Runtime:

1h 48m
Production Co:

Howard Productions

Cast & Crew

Ronald Colman
Dr. Martin Arrowsmith

Helen Hayes
Leora Arrowsmith

Richard Bennett
Gustav Sondelius

A.E. Anson
Professor Max Gottlieb

Clarence Brooks
Oliver Marchand

Alec B. Francis
Twyford

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Critic Reviews for Arrowsmith

All Critics (9) | Fresh (8) | Rotten (1)

"Arrowsmith" profoundly moves the audience, by the mere virtue of the spirit that pulses in the narrative. [Full Review in Spanish]

February 29, 2020 | Full Review…

María Luz Morales (Felipe Centeno)
La Vanguardia (Spain)
Even with its flaws Arrowsmith (1931) is a glorious Pre-Code film. It tackles a difficult subject, isn't afraid to experiment and there is a refreshing lack of racism.

March 3, 2019 | Full Review…

Raquel Stecher
Out of the Past
Emotionally gratifying, it dramatically only crawls along with so many actionless scenes.

April 1, 2007 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
One of John Ford's in-depth probes of the doctor's role in society, Arrowsmith was based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis who refused the 1926 Pulitzer because of the prize's alleged advocacy of work that endorsed "the wholesome American life."

June 19, 2005 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Many shots show an early awareness of mood and expression, using heavy shadows and diagonal shapes to establish visual conflicts.

April 11, 2005 | Full Review…

Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
...the film's episodic structure ensures that it rarely becomes boring - though the story does lose some momentum towards the end...

March 12, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Quote not available.

June 4, 2004 | Rating: 4/5

Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Brilliant, too little seen John Ford film of the Sinclair Lewis novel.

May 23, 2004 | Rating: 5/5

Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
One of those prestige pics from decades past that make you wonder exactly what all the fuss was about.

March 1, 2004 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review…

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

View All Critic Reviews (9)

Audience Reviews for Arrowsmith

May 01, 2011

Ronald Colman is fine in this antique but the film itself is all over the place.

jay n Super Reviewer
Sep 03, 2010

A dull and melodramatic look at the life of a doctor.

Aj V Super Reviewer
Jul 23, 2008

Colman is as charismatic as ever, but does have some choppy editing.

Anthony V Super Reviewer
Aug 12, 2007

I was glad to have caught this on Turner Classics a few weeks back. I have always thought that Ronald Colman was terribly underrated and overshadowed by Clark Gable who he resembled greatly. This is great depiction of how personal amibition and ethics often have great impacts on how personal lives are lived.

John B Super Reviewer