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A Farewell to Arms

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A Farewell to Arms

Released Dec 8, 1932

1h 18m

Romance

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88%

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16 Reviews

53%

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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.

Kevin Maher

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

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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

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Eduardo Guaitsel

Cine-Mundial

Gary Cooper has surpassed all theater and screen idols in this movie. [Full review in Spanish]

Oct 8, 2020

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Pare Lorentz

Vanity Fair

Helen Hayes takes the movie, wraps it up, and carries it home with her.

Jun 12, 2019

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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

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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

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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

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Jeff S

Artfully crafted drama with a powerful message buoyed by fabulous acting.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/12/24

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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

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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

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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

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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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