The Dark Angel (1935) (original) (raw)

Synopsis

Crowds just cannot get enough of the most appealing love story ever filmed!

Kitty Vane, Alan Trent, and Gerald Shannon have been inseparable friends since childhood. Kitty has always known she would marry one of them, but has waited until the beginning of World War I before finally choosing Alan. Gerald graciously gives them his blessing. Then, Gerald and Alan go to war. Angered over a misunderstanding involving Alan and Kitty, Gerald sends Alan on a dangerous mission that will change all their lives forever.

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This kid that wants to be a whale has the right idea

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Actor Challenge (Merle Oberon)

Classic melodrama of the highest order, but I was in the mood to watch a film like this. I put The Dark Angel on my actor challenge for Merle Oberon because it was the only movie she received an Oscar nomination for. Having seen the movie though ...? It's a largely unremarkable performance, fine but not great.

This movie did make me realize two things though. Fredric March is just so good, honestly. His ability to portray inner conflict and vulnerability is so impressive. March can get hammy in some of his performances but he really is brilliant in others like in this film. Watching this movie also made me realize I think I have a thing for WWI romances? Wings, Ryan's Daughter, Random Harvest, Tomorrow is Forever, and more I have all thoroughly enjoyed.

In the TCM intro Alicia Malone said Merle fought for this role because the first film she ever saw in theaters was the 1925 adaptation of this story (long regarded as a lost film, one reel was found in an archive a few years ago). Imagine your first film being one that stars Ronald Colman!!?? 😍😍😍

Sidney A. Franklin’s Oscar-winning drama about the relationship between three close pals which is put to the test. Starring Merle Oberon, Fredric March, Herbert Marshall and Janet Beecher.

Adapted from the play of the same name by Guy Bolton, which was published a decade earlier, the story concerns Alan Trent (Fredric March) and his cousin, Gerald Shannon (Herbert Marshall), who have both adored Kitty Vane (Merle Oberon) since childhood.

Absent from the front in the First World War, Alan pops the question to her, but after his leave is abandoned, Kitty devotes his final night with him.

At the front, Gerald thinks Alan has been treacherous to Kitty, and Alan refuses to deny him, leaving the pals with no choice…

Ive spent so long trying to watch this movie. I love Merle Oberon but god damn her movies are so hard to find. Her life story is so fascinating, shes god damn beautiful, and shes a fantastic actress to boot. I owe her my life even though this is only the third film ive seen of hers.

Too unrealistic, a man would never hold their friend accountable for cheating on their partner like this irl

Soapy, sad, and slow but I don't care I'm here to see Fredric March and Merle Oberon and I got just that.

Safe to say that I have a crush on Freddie March now. His 30s movies were just peak swoon.

deeply unfortunate how many tears i wept, i'm never going to get that moisture back

My poor Herbert deserved better.

Kinda stilted old fashioned love triangle written by Lillian Hellman with Merle Oberon initially unable to decide between best buds Frederick March and Herbert Marshall (movie actually opens with her character as a small child telling her grandma that she's gonna go off with one and then spend the other half of the day with the other, so even as a kid she was kinda playing at being the girlfriend of both)

Anyways the two of them get called up for service in WW1 and in the fright that comes from possibly losing them both, she ends up making out with March in a candlelit basement, when Marshall catches her leaving he assumes that they had their way with each…

i went in blind (no pun intended) and i was ready to give up after the first hour but for someone who acts with their eyes, it was actually really interesting seeing fredric march express sadness and frustration, without a direct eye contact

merle and fredric are so incredible in this i’m going to kill myself