This Above All

THIS ABOVE ALL succeeds as a romantic drama largely because of the two leading performances of TYRONE POWER and JOAN FONTAINE, both at their physical peak. Fontaine makes a radiant, spirited Prudence and Power has that sincere quality that makes Clive a real character.

On the debit side, it has the faults typical of many wartime films in the '40s--the propaganda attitude is full of flag-waving moments, such as Fontaine's monologue about England's brave fight for victory. Nevertheless, she gives one of her better performances as an aristocratic young British woman who enlists in the WAF, meets Power and quickly falls deeply in love. It's the romantic aspect of the tale that is a clear winner--but the preachy elements in the screenplay do considerable harm in dulling its merits as a motion picture.

The wartime scenes of bombings and air raids is extremely well handled, the B&W photography is excellent, but Alfred Newman's syrupy score used throughout never gets a chance to rest.

Power and Fontaine make a handsome couple and the cast includes Thomas Mitchell, always a welcome character actor, as a caring friend.

Anatole Litvak's direction is occasionally striking but this director has done much more dramatic and serious work (such as SORRY, WRONG NUMBER and THE SNAKE PIT) with greater effect.

It ends up being only mildly satisfying, mainly because of the chemistry of the two stars.

This is a propaganda movie ,but which meant much for Litvak ,a Russian whose career began in Germany ,then continued in France ,before " Mayerling " led him to Hollywood : his film begins with the 1940 Dunkirk disaster and the armistice France was forced to sign with the nazis .

Like Wyler's "Mrs Minniver" ,it takes place in England ,where a young aristocrat (Fontaine) joins the WAAF ,partly a rebel stand against a selfish auntie (Gladys Cooper) .

The first part of the movie is everything but derivative : a man in civilian clothes (Power) who falls for a woman in uniform (funny to watch the women's training whilst we are used to seeing those of men).

The man is a deserter who left the army because he does not know why he 's fighting for :when the war is over , they will let us down,and the society won't care for us (it's not entirely false ,and sometimes soldiers coming home do not get what they deserve :it's not typically English);and for Clyde ,Prudence represents all that he hates the privileged people who make the other fight for their wealth. Not only Prude proves him wrong by joining the army ,but she also delivers a long patriotic eulogy of England ,their culture ;it may be full of clichés,but the actress's voice is so convincing it will win you over. On the other hand ,The priest's intervention is perhaps unwittingly preachy .

An occupied France (and other countries), bombs all over England : through Clive's.realization , "all above us" was meant to comfort and to encourage the people ; in 1942 ,in the darkest hours of the war , they had to know they would meet again some sunny day.

Tyrone Power once again proves what a brilliant actor he was in this film! Joan Fontaine is also wonderful as an upper-class English woman who joins the WAFs during WWII and meets and falls in love with a charming, but troubled, stranger (Power) with a mysterious past. This movie is not only well acted and touching, but also provides an interesting historical window into WWII England. A definite must see for Tyrone Power fans and anyone interested in WWII. Unfortunately, this movie is not available on video. However, for anyone who wishes to see it, I managed to catch it on the Fox Movie Channel, where it is sometimes shown.

With the entry of England into WW2, upper class Prudence Cathaway (Joan Fontaine) joins the women's auxiliary force, much to the annoyance of her snobbish relatives. Prudence later meets working-class Clive Briggs (Tyrone Power) on a blind date, and the two fall in love, although Clive reveals little about his past, and Prudence can sense something heavy on his mind. Eventually she learns that not only was Clive recognized for bravery during the Dunkirk evacuation, but that he has subsequently gone AWOL. Will Clive change his mind and return to service, or is he destined to be a fugitive?

I don't often warm to Fontaine, but she's good here, sweetly human and beautiful. Power gets to stretch a bit with a darker character, and he's up to the challenge. The supporting players don't have a lot to do, but they're all memorable professionals, and help keep the movie interesting. Two scenes that struck me as especially noteworthy: the initial date between Fontaine and Power is held during a blackout, with very little light, and only the occasional match strike providing fleeting illumination of faces. The other scene is later in the film, as a frantic Power runs through the wrecked streets of a London neighborhood during an air raid. Bombs are falling, fires are burning, a plane even crashes into a nearby apartment house, all with panicked citizens and valiant firemen running to and fro. A very well executed sequence. The movie received Oscar nominations for Best B&W Cinematography, Best Sound, and Best Editing, and it won for Best B&W Art Direction.

Anatole Litvak's engrossing romantic drama, "This Above All," takes place in the early years of World War II, before the United States had entered the war. Like "Mrs. Miniver," the film was intended to boost sympathy and support for England, which was already engaged in a desperate battle with Nazi Germany. Set on a back-lot England with Academy-Award winning sets, the movie has a coziness associated with black-and-white Hollywood studio films of the Golden Era. Prudence Cathaway, a strong-willed young woman from a privileged background, played by 25-year-old Joan Fontaine, joins the WAF, a women's paramilitary group, over family protests. On a blind date one inky black night, she meets Clive Briggs, a moody mysterious man with a dark secret. When she subsequently sees her date in the daylight, he is the impossibly good looking Tyrone Power, and romance inevitably ensues. Despite Brigg's criticism of her own aristocratic background, Fontaine tolerates Power's cynical nature and his ambivalence about fighting to retain the English class system that supports the rich and privileged.

Although breezily entertaining, little occurs during the first half as Fontaine and Power become increasingly involved. The couple flirt, date, and go off for a week's holiday at the seaside, where they encounter some of Briggs's buddies. However, as Briggs's secret unfolds, the film turns darker, and the pro-English propaganda surfaces. Fontaine waxes eloquently about all that England means and why they must fight to preserve the country; meanwhile, Briggs denigrates an economic system that rewards the moneyed aristocracy and oppresses the poor; why should the lower classes fight and die, while the wealthy sip tea and dress for dinner. Veteran actress Gladys Cooper appears to embody the haughty side of undeserved privilege, while Nigel Bruce and Thomas Mitchell ably portray Powers's working class buddies. While the dark-eyed Tyrone Power plays Clive Briggs quite well, Joan Fontaine captures her every scene and turns in a lovely, delicate performance as the rebellious Prudence; her glowing face wordlessly expresses the young woman's growing affection for the handsome Briggs. The Oscar-nominated photography by Arthur C. Miller captures Fontaine's delicate complexion and underplayed expressions and highlights Power at his tall, dark, and handsome best.

Despite a dated message in R. C. Sheriff's screenplay, adapted from a novel by Eric Knight, "This Above All" moves at a brisk pace, and even those averse to romances will be drawn in by Fontaine's radiant performance. If 20th Century Fox wanted to convince American audiences of the importance of supporting a loyal ally against the Nazis, they could have done no better than enlist the aid of Joan Fontaine to do so. She and Power make a romantic pair, and "This Above All" rises above propaganda to be an enduring romantic entertainment.