''Anthony Adverse'' is a 1936 American

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

film directed by

Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. During the 1930s, he was one of the two great practitioners of economical and effective film directing at Warner Bros., Warner Brothers studios, ...

and starring

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, page 95. As ...

and

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British and American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her tim ...

. The screenplay by Sheridan Gibney draws elements of its plot from eight of the nine books in Hervey Allen's 1933 historical novel, '' Anthony Adverse.'' Abandoned at a convent as an infant, Anthony comes of age in the tumultuous turn of the 18th to the 19th century, the age of Napoleon. The audience is privy to many truths in Anthony's life, including the tragic story of his origins and the fact that the wealthy merchant who adopts him is his grandfather. Most important of all, Anthony believes that his beloved Angela abandoned him without a word, when in fact she left a note telling him that the theatrical troupe was going to Rome. The gust of wind that blows the note away is one of many fateful and fatal events in Anthony's story. The film received four

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

, including the inaugural Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, given to

Gale Sondergaard Gale Sondergaard (born Edith Holm Sondergaard; February 15, 1899 – August 14, 1985) was an American actress. Sondergaard began her acting career in theater and progressed to films in 1936. She was the first recipient of the Academy Award ...

for her performance as the villainous Faith Paleologus.

Plot

In 1773, young Scottish woman Maria Bonnyfeather is the new bride of middle-aged Spanish Marquis Don Luis. The consummation of their marriage is postponed until he is cured of gout at a famous spa. Meanwhile, Maria's true love, Denis Moore, follows them and stays near their château. While the marquis is away taking the cure, they meet in the woods, and after three months Maria tells him she is carrying his child. The marquis returns home, cured, and Maria is horrified at what awaits her. The lovers plan to flee that night, but the marquis discovers Maria waiting for Denis. Don Luis takes her away, but Denis pursues them to an inn, where Don Luis kills him in a sword duel. Months later, Maria dies giving birth to her son at a chalet in the Italian

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. Don Luis leaves the infant in the foundling wheel of a

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

near Leghorn. The nuns christen him Anthony because he was found on the feast day of St.

Anthony the Great Anthony the Great (; ; ; ; – 17 January 356) was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is distinguished from other saints named Anthony, such as , by various epithets: , , , , , and . For his importance among t ...

. Don Luis lies to Maria's father, wealthy merchant John Bonnyfeather, telling him that the infant also died. Ten years later, by chance, Anthony is apprenticed to Bonnyfeather, who discovers his relationship to the boy but keeps it a secret. The only explanation for Don Luis’ behavior is that Maria's child was illegitimate, and Bonnyfeather cannot bear to have his daughter—or his grandson—bear that stigma. He gives the boy the surname Adverse acknowledging the difficult start in life. Anthony and the cook's daughter, Angela Guisseppi fall in love. Angela wants to become a great singer. Anthony wants to serve Bonnyfeather and marry Angela, but Angela's father wins the lottery and the family leaves Leghorn. Years later, Anthony finds her, singing in the opera chorus. Eventually, they wed. Soon after the ceremony, Bonnyfeather sends Anthony to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.slave trading post on the Pongo River in Africa, so he can recover Bonnyfeather's debt. Three years in the slave trade corrupts him, and he takes slave girl Neleta into his bed. After his friend, Brother François, is crucified and killed by natives, Anthony returns to Italy to find Bonnyfeather has died. His housekeeper, Faith Paleologus (Don Luis' longtime co-conspirator and now wife), has inherited Bonnyfeather's fortune. Anthony goes to Paris to claim his inheritance and is reunited with his friend, banker Vincent Nolte. He saves Nolte from bankruptcy by loaning him his entire fortune, having learned from Brother François that "There's something besides money and power". Meanwhile, all Paris is buzzing with gossip about Mademoiselle Georges, the famous opera star and mistress of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, and the diamond necklace he has given to her, although Josephine wanted it.

Impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

Debrulle reunites Anthony with Angela, who bore him a son. A delighted Angela tells him that she is singing at the opera, and he goes, with Nolte. Searching the program in vain for her name, he hears her voice coming from the stage. He exclaims, “That's Angela” and Nolte replies, “That's Mademoiselle Georges!” Angela continues the aria and emerges from the shadows, descending a staircase. Wearing Napoleon's gift, she whispers “Goodbye, Anthony,” as he stands and leaves the box. Shaken, he returns home to find his son, with a letter from Angela saying that Anthony is better suited to raise the boy. Anthony and the boy sail for America hoping for a better life.

Cast

as Anthony Adverse *

as Angela Giuseppe * Donald Woods as Vincent Nolte * Anita Louise as Maria * Edmund Gwenn as John Bonnyfeather *

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Supp ...

as Marquis Don Luis * Rollo Lloyd as

* Louis Hayward as Denis Moore *

as Faith Paleologus * Steffi Duna as Neleta * Billy Mauch as Anthony Adverse (age 10) * Akim Tamiroff as Carlo Cibo * Ralph Morgan as Debrulle *

Henry O'Neill Henry O'Neill (August 10, 1891 – May 18, 1961) was an American actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles on film during the 1930s and 1940s. Early life Henry O'Neill was born in Orange, New J ...

as Father Xavier * Pedro de Cordoba as Brother François * Alma Lloyd as Florence Udney (as an adult) * Marilyn Knowlden as Florence Udney (as a child) * Anne Howard as Angela as a child (uncredited)

Production

Before casting Fredric March to costar with Olivia de Havilland, Warner Bros. considered Robert Donat,

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director, producer and writer.Obituary, '' Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' an ...

, and George Brent for the title role. The studio during preproduction also intended to cast

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

in support of March, but Flynn became so popular with moviegoers after his performance in '' Captain Blood'' in 1935 that Warner Bros. assigned him to star instead in the 1936 film '' The Charge of the Light Brigade''. Billy Mauch plays the young Anthony Adverse in the earlier scenes. Warner Bros. discovered Mauch had a twin, and it put them both under contract. They were given a starring vehicle in ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. The plot conce ...

''. Film editor Ralph Dawson provided some statistics: a shooting script of 250 pages; 1,098 camera set-ups, plus another 200 scenes prepared by special effects (including superimposed titles); 600,000+ feet of positive print film delivered to his cutting room, yielding a finished film of 12,250 feet.

Reception

Critical response

In his 1936 review, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' critic Frank S. Nugent panned "Warner's gargantuan film": Writing for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'',

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

expressed similar views, acerbically noting of the film that it "goes on too long, otherwise it might have been the funniest film since ''

The Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

''". '' Variety'' described it as "a bit choppy" and "a bit long-winded" as well; but the popular trade magazine praised Fredric March's performance, adding that he was "an ace choice, playing the role to the hilt." ''

Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informati ...

'' wrote that ''Anthony Adverse'' "easily ranks among the leading pictures of the talking screen" and called the production's acting "flawless". "I don't think Mr. March has done any better piece of work than this", noted John Mosher in his positive review for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

''. The film was named one of the

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered the first major harbinger of the film awards season that ...

's Top Ten pictures of the year and ranked eighth in the ''

'' annual critics' poll. In a much later review, however, Reverend Austin Spencer also found the film adaptation—when compared to the novel—inadequate, especially in its portrayal of the personal challenges that confronted the story's

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

: On TCM, film critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

gives the picture a positive review of 3.5/4 stars, praising the "Blockbuster filmization of Hervey Allen bestseller ... of young man gaining maturity through adventures in various parts of early 19th-century Europe, Cuba, and Africa" and the film's cinematography and "rousing musical score", both winners of Academy Awards. It is the lowest-rated film to ever be nominated for Best Picture film on the website.

Box office

The film was Warner Bros.' most popular release of 1936. It was also the studio's most expensive production that year, with an overall budget of $1,192,000. That hefty expense, however, proved to be a wise investment, for ''Anthony Adverse'' generated $1,558,000 in profits at the box office for Warner Bros., earning the studio $1,783,000 domestically and $967,000 in foreign markets.

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

;Awards * Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Gale Sondergaard * Best Cinematography: Gaetano Gaudio * Best Film Editing: Ralph Dawson * Best Music (Scoring): Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Leo F. Forbstein, head of department (Score by

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (; May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was an Austrian composer and conductor, who fled Europe in the mid-1930s and later adopted US nationality. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential comp ...

) ;Nominations * Outstanding Production:

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

* Best Assistant Director: William Cannon * Best Art Direction: Anton Grot

Cultural references

The initial theme of the second movement of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's violin concerto was drawn from the music he composed for the film. English singer Julia Gilbert adopted the name of the film's main character when recording for the London-based él record label in the late 1980s. Screen legend

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles co ...

(1925–2010), who was born Bernard Schwartz, named himself for the titular character: The novel from which this film was adapted was the actor's favorite. Curtis, who was established as a star in '' The Prince Who Was a Thief'' (1951), was buried with a Stetson hat, an Armani scarf, driving gloves, an iPhone and a copy of his favorite novel ''Anthony Adverse''.

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

parodied ''Anthony Adverse'' on the October 11 and 18 episodes of his "Jell-O Show" in 1936.Jack Benny's "Jell-O Show" In the 1934 short comedy '' What, No Men!'', when their plane lands in "Indian Country" and Gus (

El Brendel Elmer Goodfellow "El" Brendel (March 25, 1890 – April 9, 1964) was an American vaudeville comedian turned movie star, best remembered for his dialect routine as a Swedish immigrant. His biggest role was as "Single-0" in the sci-fi musical ' ...

) is told to throw out the anchor, he tosses out a rope attached to a huge book titled ''Anthony Adverse''. In the 1949 cartoon '' Hare Do'', a marquee at a theater advertises the movie.

References

External links

* * * *
Complete volume one of the novel
at

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...

''Anthony Adverse''
at Virtual History
Hervey Allen Papers, 1831–1965, South Carolina.1952.01, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh
{{Mervyn LeRoy 1936 films 1930s adventure drama films 1930s historical adventure films 1930s English-language films Films based on American novels Warner Bros. films Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award–winning performance Films that won the Best Original Score Academy Award American black-and-white films Films directed by Mervyn LeRoy Films scored by Erich Wolfgang Korngold Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing Academy Award Films set in the 1800s Films set in Italy Films set in Havana Films set in Africa Films set in Paris American historical adventure films American adventure drama films 1936 drama films 1930s American films English-language adventure drama films English-language historical adventure films