The Girl in White

The Girl in White might be seen as a feminist drama by some. It concerns a woman at the turn of the century who wants to become a doctor (June Allyson) who faced adversity when the men around her try to squash her dreams. She prevails and wins their respect including that of the man who wants to marry her (Arthur Kennedy). The reason this movie works is that the message isn't pushed upon the audience the way it would be if the film were remade today. It is somewhat inspirational, but mostly it just tells a story.

Allyson is great as always and very sweet. A line from the movie describes her well, "You just make people feel good so that they forget themselves, their own troubles. Sometimes that means more than any medicine." The man who speaks the lines, Kennedy, is excellent in this film. He has mastered the art of showing emotions without verbally referencing them first.

What I liked most is that this movie's based on the life of Dr. Emily Dunning Barringer, so they have to give this biopic a dose of realism. So, the story doesn't go over-the-top with the man vs. Woman/career vs. Homemaker thing and comes across as genuine.

It was also nice to see June Allyson in a role that wasn't either the ingenue or the good wife.

The early 20th century wasn't an easy time for a woman doctor, though many (like Dr. Barringer) were willing to put up with whatever was thrown their way, in order to practice medicine.

Some of the opposition was unbelievable, like when Dr. Seth Pawling (Gary Merrill) is reluctant to hire her, despite her having graduated third in her med school class! He insists women don't have what it takes to be good doctors, though she soon proves him wrong!

She does a great job, first on ambulance duty, later saving a life despaired of, and then during a typhoid epidemic.

She has some clashes with Ben Barringer, (Arthur Kennedy) the doctor she loves, with both making sacrifices, both for their careers and for each other, which sets the stage for their future together.

I've said enough and won't give away more. Just check it out, as it's worth it.

Based on the memoirs of her character Ann Dunning Barringer, June Allyson gets to play a woman doctor at a time when there weren't too many. The time of the turn of the last century is captured very well.

Her own role model is that of Mildred Dunnock also a physician of the female gender who has had to be most discreet in order to earn a living in the medical profession. Allyson is not about discretion.

In fact as Allyson becomes a hero to the nurses in and around 1900 it wasn't that long ago that Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton opened the nursing profession for women. For them Allyson is dreaming the impossible dream.

The men in her life include Arthur Kennedy whom she breaks things off with because he a doctor wants his woman home with supper on the table and her supervisor Gary Merrill who also thinks there are men doctors and women nurses and the twain shall not meet. A man who believes in specific gender roles.

The Girl In White has a fine ensemble cast who give great support to Allyson who must have been grateful to get away from girl next door roles.

It's the turn of the century New York City. Emily Dunning (June Allyson) is taken with Dr. Marie Yeomans who saved her mother's life. Yeomans is an established doctor who still faces sexist treatment all the time. She helps Emily get into Cornell medical school. Fellow student Ben Barringer falls for Emily and proposes to her but he's still holding onto old fashion ideals.

It's a female empowerment biopic. The premise is straight forward. For me, the most compelling may be the horse drawn ambulance. I don't think I've seen one of those in any movie. Sure, the movie is not about the ambulance but I find it great fun thrills. All in all, it's a solid well-acted standard biopic.

I loved this movie so much. I watched when I was 21 and now I'm 22 going on to 23 and I think this movie is great. We are in the year 2005 and I can honestly tell you that women will love this movie and not only women but men as well. The male lead in this movie has such dignity and is so respectable that he elevates the status of men, not making them out and men appear these days on film to be after a women only for there looks. He looks just like Kiefer Sutherland, and since I didn't know his name I called him the Kiefer look alike when I described the story to my sister. He is ambitious, smart just like the leading lady who is the wonderful June Allyson. I was bored one day and I turned on TCM and this movie started in black and white, and I don't like black and white films. The story of this film is great. It starts off with June "Emily" and her mother moving to a new town and her mother falls ill or is pregnant and asks her daughter to find a doctor. Emily hunts for a doctor and finds the doctors apartment, upon entering she meets a woman and inquires where the doctor is. The woman declares herself to be the doctor "Dr Marie". Emily is hesitant about sending this woman to heal her mother for she has the same prejudice that a lot had back in those days about women being doctors. Nevertheless Dr Marie attends to her mother and after he mother is better. Emily gains the utmost respect for her and the story continues on to Emily becomes Dr Maries assistant and then goes to Medical school where she is the only woman there. The story is triumphant of how she finds love with another doctor who is probably one of the best male characters I've ever seen, and how she overcomes obstacles to be a great doctor, and on top of that she is a woman doctor. Its great acting and for me who wasn't caught up in the hype of MGM stars and I don't care what happened back then, for me to fall in love with this film and relate to it is great personally. So I recommend you all to watch it. Don't be turned off by the fact that it is black and white like I was initially and let yourself be inspired.