Arrowsmith

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Draco L Sep 18, 2018 Arrowsmith is an okay, but immensely flawed Best Picture Nominee with excellent cinematography, some very memorable scenes and a terrific Ronald Colman titular performance, but it never became as sprawling, epic and powerful as it should have been owing to its horrible editing and pacing which is ridiculously rushed due to an inappropriately short runtime. See more

Finn S Nov 2, 2017 Arrowsmith is the story of a scientist who must often choose between living his life and working to advance medicine. It feels a lot like a classic biopic from the 30s where we go on a whirlwind through this man’s life. However, it appears it is all based on a book and not a true story. Whether real or imagined, though, I was intrigued by the story of Martin Arrowsmith. I quite liked Ronald Colman’s performance in the lead role, because he plays things very distinguished and unemotional, but I always sensed the emotions underlying it all. The movie is a flurry of events throughout his life, and we move very quickly through the years. I was able to latch on because I was interested in what discoveries Arrowsmith might make, and if he would be able to stick to his scientific roots or if his compassion would get the better of him. It’s the kind of story that could have just as easily flopped for me, and I can see why others wouldn’t enjoy it, but somehow I was engaged. My biggest struggle was with the ending, because it didn’t feel like they knew how to wrap things up in a satisfying manner. They threw in Myrna Loy at the last minute almost like an afterthought, and that didn’t work at all. I liked John Ford’s direction, because he can capture the flat dialogue scenes with enough flair to keep it from being boring, and I love how he is able to subtly build anticipation in the audience a couple of times in the film. Overall I can see why Arrowsmith was praised at the time, because even with some flaws I did enjoy it a lot. See more

George P Apr 3, 2016 The first half is ludicrously old fashioned, but the 2nd half is very progressive by 1930s standards. There are some beautiful moments here. The casual film goer would probably be bored stiff, but if you're a lover of old Hollywood, there's plenty to love here. See more

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Arrowsmith

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