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A Farewell to Arms

Play trailer Poster for A Farewell to Arms Released Dec 8, 1932 1h 18m Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Frederic Henry (Gary Cooper), an American driving ambulances for the Italian Army during World War I, falls for British Red Cross nurse Catherine Barkley (Helen Hayes), to the displeasure of jealous commanding officer Major Rinaldi (Adolphe Menjou), who transfers Catherine to a different hospital out of spite. But after Frederic is injured on the battlefield, he is evacuated to Catherine's new hospital in Milan, and the star-crossed lovers begin their romance anew.

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A Farewell to Arms

Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher The Times (UK) [A] profoundly mature Hemingway adaptation... Rated: 5/5 Aug 20, 2021 Full Review Steve Rose Guardian A fascinatingly awkward first world war epic - dated, yet bracingly modern. Rated: 4/5 May 29, 2014 Full Review Mark Asch Little White Lies Borzage effaces his leading man completely - what must Hemingway have thought? - the better to conflate passion and passivity, and you're borne right along. Rated: 4/5 May 29, 2014 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...the movie, which runs an often interminable 88 minutes, suffers from an almost total lack of an entry point that prevents the viewer from working up any interest in or sympathy for the protagonists’ dull exploits... Rated: 1/4 May 12, 2024 Full Review Eduardo Guaitsel Cine-Mundial Gary Cooper has surpassed all theater and screen idols in this movie. [Full review in Spanish] Oct 8, 2020 Full Review Pare Lorentz Vanity Fair Helen Hayes takes the movie, wraps it up, and carries it home with her. Jun 12, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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ChrisCSH H Artfully beautiful acting from Helen Hayes and Gary Cooper farewell to arms is a beautiful and tragic story that builds the drama to the very end. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/04/25 Full Review Russ G It's terrible, but perhaps allowances have to be made for the year of production, rather soon after Talkies were created. The jumpy script may be a holdover from silent movies, of which Miss Hayes was a veteran. I'd guess the screenwriter left gaping holes in the plot line. Pile Cooper's wooden acting style on all that and you have a rather hiss poor presentation of Papa Hemingway's book. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/09/25 Full Review Lanfranco C A tragic end because the plot is based on treason. Better this first movie than the remake Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/18/24 Full Review Jeff S Artfully crafted drama with a powerful message buoyed by fabulous acting. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/12/24 Full Review Christopher B A very melodramatic and decently created first Hemingway adaptation of A Farewell to Arms that while not reaching the greatness of the book, is commendable. The film is slow and often filled with a lot of overly emotional events but if you can endure that you are in for a good and tragic love story unfolding and the devastating result. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/07/22 Full Review SICKS6SIX Only 56% from the ordinary people but a 90+% from the rotten people. So I'm rotten to the core as I'm with the latter. Hemming ways novel which was semi autobiographical and not the most cheerful story's ever written but its a classic and worth the sadness you will endure. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/22 Full Review Read all reviews
A Farewell to Arms

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Cast & Crew

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Frank Borzage

Director

Helen Hayes

Catherine Barkley

Gary Cooper

Lt. Frederic Henry

Adolphe Menjou

Maj. Rinald

Mary Philips

Helen Ferguson

Jack La Rue

Priest

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A Farewell to Arms

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Movie Info

Synopsis Frederic Henry (Gary Cooper), an American driving ambulances for the Italian Army during World War I, falls for British Red Cross nurse Catherine Barkley (Helen Hayes), to the displeasure of jealous commanding officer Major Rinaldi (Adolphe Menjou), who transfers Catherine to a different hospital out of spite. But after Frederic is injured on the battlefield, he is evacuated to Catherine's new hospital in Milan, and the star-crossed lovers begin their romance anew.
Director
Frank Borzage
Producer
Frank Borzage
Screenwriter
Benjamin Glazer, Oliver H.P. Garrett
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures
Genre
Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 8, 1932, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 4, 2016
Runtime
1h 18m
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