I was very surprised when I watched this biography because so often these sort of films are so inaccurate and overdone. I can't help but immediately think of some wretched films about Abraham Lincoln or Cole Porter--films that bore little similarity to the actual lives of those supposedly being portrayed and abounding in false sentimentality. Considering that this film was made around the same time WWII began, I would have expected the film to be even more inaccurate and jingoistic than normal--making the real life Edith Cavell into some sort of saint and the Germans brutal monsters. However, the film turned out to be a very accurate portrait of her life during WWI--free of the overwrought aspects I assumed would be present throughout the film. To verify just how close the film stuck to the facts, I checked on the internet and found an amazingly comprehensive site on Ms. Cavell--and the film seemed very close to her actual life (http://www.edithcavell.org.uk/).
The story begins just as World War One is about to commence. Edith Cavell is a highly respected nurse in Belgium. However, after the Belgians are quickly dispatched by the German army, she must live and work in occupied Belgium--during which time she took care of wounded German soldiers. However, when Allied soldiers stumbled into the hospital looking for assistance, Ms. Cavell agreed to shelter them and eventually help them escape to neutral Holland. Eventually the number of soldiers she helped reached about 200 before she was captured and executed by the Germans. At the end of the film, you cut to 1919 and you see her being re-buried back in England with full honors for her brave humanitarian work. I thought this was Westminster Abbey, though it turned out (according to the web site) to be Norwich Cathedral.
While this isn't the most exciting film I have ever seen, as far as 1930s and 40s bio-pics go, it's one of the best. Not only does it stick close to the facts, but Anna Neagle's performance is understated and free of the usual shrill theatrics of biographical films. Well made throughout and my only complaints are not the fault of the original production (the print was in absolutely horrid shape--with terrible sound and lots of rough film).
The story begins just as World War One is about to commence. Edith Cavell is a highly respected nurse in Belgium. However, after the Belgians are quickly dispatched by the German army, she must live and work in occupied Belgium--during which time she took care of wounded German soldiers. However, when Allied soldiers stumbled into the hospital looking for assistance, Ms. Cavell agreed to shelter them and eventually help them escape to neutral Holland. Eventually the number of soldiers she helped reached about 200 before she was captured and executed by the Germans. At the end of the film, you cut to 1919 and you see her being re-buried back in England with full honors for her brave humanitarian work. I thought this was Westminster Abbey, though it turned out (according to the web site) to be Norwich Cathedral.
While this isn't the most exciting film I have ever seen, as far as 1930s and 40s bio-pics go, it's one of the best. Not only does it stick close to the facts, but Anna Neagle's performance is understated and free of the usual shrill theatrics of biographical films. Well made throughout and my only complaints are not the fault of the original production (the print was in absolutely horrid shape--with terrible sound and lots of rough film).