Hold Back the Dawn (1941)

 

While this production itself was well done enough, the story does not hold up at all in my opinion. A Romanian man is living in Mexico and not looking forward to the prospect of waiting 5-8 years before he can legally enter the United States due to immigration quotas. So, he woos a naive American school teacher (played by Olivia de Havilland) and gets her to marry him half a day after they meet. His plan is to ditch her the moment the paper work goes through and he can enter the country.

Slimy as all that is, the movie then has him fall in love with her and expects the audience to be on board with their relationship. I suppose that could work, but the movie doesn't really earn it. He's never empathetic enough to make us want to be on his side. So while the film paints it as a happy ending for both him and the school teacher, it's hard to see what she sees in him after learning of his betrayal.

27 to go...

The Citadel (1938)

 

A fairly compelling story of a doctor's career. He starts out pure and ambitious before poverty leads him to treating wealthy hypochondriacs. His wife chastises him for changing, noting how once he seemed so driven that he'd be willing to march on any citadel the establishment put in his way. A tragedy opens his eyes once again, but then the film just kind of ends.

I was at first frustrated at the corruption he faced from the establishment, then frustrated at his own turn to financial convenience, and finally frustrated at the movie's lack of really paying off any of the longterm projects they set up for the doctor. That said, I did actually enjoy the film and would be curious to read the book it's based on.

28 to go...