A look at the life of Florence Nightingale.A look at the life of Florence Nightingale.A look at the life of Florence Nightingale.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Lillian Kemble-Cooper
- Parthenope 'Parthe' Nightingale
- (as Lillian Cooper)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMuch disagreement to the origin of the source material exists. Some contemporary sources believed the source was Lytton Strachey's 1918 biographical essay in "Eminent Victorians". Others contend Michael Jacoby was the author. Warner Bros. executive Hal B. Wallis contended that the life of Florence Nightingale was in the public domain, and that screenwriter Mordaunt Shairp did his own research. The MPAA agreed with Wallis; no source credit was necessary.
- GoofsWhen Florence is receiving the news on the steps of the hospital of the sinking of the French transport, the shadow of the boom microphone moves onto then quickly off her left sleeve.
- Crazy creditsPrologue: Towards the year 1850, England was at peace with the world. Her men were following her ships to the four corners of the earth, building the great empire that is Queen Victoria's monument. Women were only permitted to nod meek approval. In all England, only Her Majesty had the right to express herself with the independence of a man.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Breakdowns of 1936 (1936)
- SoundtracksAuld Lang Syne
(uncredited)
Traditional
Lyrics by Robert Burns
Incorporated into the score at the new year
Sung by the crowd celebrating the new year
Featured review
Inspiring but also amazingly hokey
Kay Francis was cast as Florence Nightingale and the film shows Florence from the time just before she dedicated her life to nursing to just after her return from the Crimean War. Francis' acting and that of most of the supporting actors was good--the dialog and details left a bit to be desired.
Hollywood sure loved bio-pics in the 30s and 40s and churned out gobs of them. The problem, though, is that while many were very entertaining, they also played rather fast and loose with the facts as well as had very, very high "schmaltz" levels on many occasions. In other words, the celebrities being portrayed were very often over-idealized and seemed more like living saints than 3-dimensional heroes. While Florence Nightingale was an absolutely amazing woman and deserved to have a film made about her, all too often the film degenerated into idol worship. My favorite over-the-top moment was when Flo entered the dilapidated hospital and the man ran screaming "water!!!"--what an amazingly unsubtle moment! While the general facts in the film are correct, the way they were realized on screen, at times, made me laugh. This is really a shame, as the real story of this woman should be good enough! As for me, I'd like to see a more realistic and less predictable treatment of her long life.
Hollywood sure loved bio-pics in the 30s and 40s and churned out gobs of them. The problem, though, is that while many were very entertaining, they also played rather fast and loose with the facts as well as had very, very high "schmaltz" levels on many occasions. In other words, the celebrities being portrayed were very often over-idealized and seemed more like living saints than 3-dimensional heroes. While Florence Nightingale was an absolutely amazing woman and deserved to have a film made about her, all too often the film degenerated into idol worship. My favorite over-the-top moment was when Flo entered the dilapidated hospital and the man ran screaming "water!!!"--what an amazingly unsubtle moment! While the general facts in the film are correct, the way they were realized on screen, at times, made me laugh. This is really a shame, as the real story of this woman should be good enough! As for me, I'd like to see a more realistic and less predictable treatment of her long life.
- planktonrules
- Sep 27, 2008
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Beli Andjeo
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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