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      War Nurse

      Released Nov 22, 1930 1h 19m Drama List
      Reviews American Army nurses find time for romance with soldiers while serving in World War I France. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member There are some redeeming features of this movie, made a little over a decade after WWI ended. It tries to show the cruelty of war and the transience of our little lives, and makes a case for grabbing now for the brass ring, not taking anything for granted. In doing so, it also tries to weave in war-time romance, and I think therein lies its weakness, especially in the first half of the film, where that takes too much of the emphasis. You'll also have to get through some pretty silly scenes early on, such as water getting spilled on one of the nurses a couple of times while they're all cleaning up a building which will be used as a hospital. June Walker turns in a decent performance and Anita Page has a nice scene when she loses out while the hospital is being shelled, but Robert Montgomery and Robert Ames are smarmy and seriously annoying for most of the movie. It's irritating to see their characters continue to pursue the nurses even when it's clear their attentions are unwanted, and it rings false to see them so chipper doing so when, for example, when Montgomery hears of a friend having just died. In another scene, Montgomery ties a rope around Walker's bicycle so that he can give her a fast tow with his motorcycle, and turns around and smiles when she crashes. It gets a little better when Montgomery makes his case for being up-front about his desire for a night of pleasure since he may die on a mission the following day, and when Ames lies wounded on a hospital bed and has to express his true emotions. For me, though, it's too little too late. The film needed more gravitas and grit given the setting, and Montgomery and director Edgar Selwyn failed to set the right tone. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Fine pre-code early talkie based upon an anonymously written tell all book about the WWI experience by nurses on the frontline. I love watching these pre-code Hollywood film that look like classic films, but included content that you'd never see in American films again until the 1960s. There are women in lingerie, premarital sex, poop jokes and a graphic, violent depiction of war that's actually pretty harrowing. Pre-code elements aside, this is a pretty tough and gritty war film that surprised me. I thought this was going to be more along the lines of fellow pre-code film, "Night Nurse," but this film was a pretty realistic portrayal of war. I was so used to seeing larger than life portrayals of men in war in Hollywood war film, the very human elements of this film made it quite effective. Still, it's not "All Quiet on the Western Front" or "The Big Parade." Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      War Nurse

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis American Army nurses find time for romance with soldiers while serving in World War I France.
      Director
      Edgar Selwyn
      Screenwriter
      Becky Gardiner, Joseph Farnham
      Distributor
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Production Co
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Nov 22, 1930, Original
      Runtime
      1h 19m