''The Man from Yesterday'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

romantic war drama film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by

Berthold Viertel Berthold Viertel (28 June 1885 – 24 September 1953) was an Austrian screenwriter and film director, known for his work in Germany, the UK and the US. Early career Viertel was born in Vienna, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but later ...

, and written by Oliver H. P. Garrett, based on a story by Neil Blackwell and Rowland G. Edwards.

Plot

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

at the end of the First World War, Sylvia Suffolk and British Expeditionary Force officer Tony Clyde get married, shortly before Tony leaves for the Western Front. Sylvia, newly pregnant, is given the news that Tony was killed in a poison gas attack while working as a nurse for surgeon René Gaudin. Sylvia gradually falls in love with René but is reluctant to remarry since she has no official news of Tony's death. On holiday in Switzerland with René, Sylvia is shocked to find Tony is still alive and convalescing, having been taken prisoner of war with lung damage. Sylva now finds herself torn between duty to Tony and marriage to René. She ultimately decides to stay with Tony and takes him to Paris to see their son, but he realizes that she is still in love with Rene and kills himself.

Cast

Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert ( ; born Émilie Claudette Chauchoin; September 13, 1903July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to films with the advent of talking pictures ...

as Sylvia Suffolk *

Clive Brook Clifford Hardman "Clive" Brook (1 June 1887 – 17 November 1974) was an English film actor. After making his first screen appearance in 1920, Brook emerged as a leading British actor in the early 1920s. After moving to the United States ...

as Capt. Tony Clyde *

Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...

as Rene Gaudin *

Andy Devine Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in 10 feature fil ...

as Steve Hand *

Alan Mowbray Alan Mowbray (born Alfred Ernest Allen; 18 August 1896 – 25 March 1969) was an English stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood. Early life Mowbray was born in London, England. He served with distinction in the British Army in Wo ...

as Dr. Waite *

Greta Meyer Greta Meyer (7 August 18838 October 1965) was a German actress in motion pictures beginning in the silent film era. Biography Meyer belonged to a German family that was comparable to the Barrymore family in America. At age 3 she debuted on sta ...

as inn proprietress * Barbara Leonard as Steve's girl *

Yola d'Avril Yola d'Avril (8 April 1906 – 2 March 1984) was a French-American actress, who appeared in numerous productions between 1925 and 1953. She was also known as Yola Vermairion and Yola d'Avril Montiague. Biography d'Avril was born in Lille, Franc ...

as Tony's girl *

Emile Chautard Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *'' Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *'' Emil and the Detecti ...

as priest * George Davis as taxi driver *

Christian Rub Christian Rub (pronounced ''Rhoob''; April 13, 1886 – April 14, 1956) was an Austrian-born American character actor. He was known for his work in films of the late 1910s to the early 1950s, and was featured in more than 100 films. Biography ...

as terrace waiter

References

External links

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''The Man from Yesterday'' details
themave.com 1932 romantic drama films 1932 films American black-and-white films American romantic drama films Films directed by Berthold Viertel Western Front (World War I) films Films about chemical war and weapons Films set in Switzerland Films about the British Army American World War I films Films set in Paris 1930s American films 1930s English-language films {{war-film-stub