Cavalcade (1933)

My Review

The Best Picture of 1933 is…..”Cavalcade.” This is the story of an English couple and their friends, family, and servants from 1899 to 1933, with all of the big events included like the Boer War, death of Queen Victoria, sinking of the Titanic, and World War I. Director Frank Lloyd put high production values into this movie, including plush sets, outstanding period costumes, heavy performances, good writing, etc. Screenwriter Reginald Berkeley kept the film running smoothly for the 112 running time.

The cast is headed by Diana Wynyard and Clive Brook as the happy couple. Their performances were aided by the makeup department as they aged over 30 years. Co-stars include Una O’Connor, Herbert Mundin, Beryl Mercer, and Irene Brown. The watchable “Cavalcade” was a big hit at the box office for Fox Film Corporation, their only Best Picture win before the merger with 20th Century Pictures in 1935 to form 20th Century Fox Pictures.

“Cavalcade” was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning three – Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Art Direction. The single non-winner was for Best Actress (Wynyard). Despite being set in early 20th century England, this movie was filmed entirely in Southern California. There seemed to be not problem with this, as the region contains a wide variety of locales and geographical features.

Note: This film was pre-Motion Picture Production Code (in effect from 1934 to 1968) and contains some four letter words like “hell” and “damn,” not to mention low-cut garments on female performers.