"The World Moves On"
Reviewed by Heather Picker
Directed by John Ford. Written by Reginald Berkeley. Starring Madeleine Carroll and Franchot Tone, with Reginald Denny. 1934, 104 min., Not Rated.
In 1935 John Ford's "The Informer" became a big hit, the year before he'd made three films, one of which was "The World Moves On" (the others were "Judge Priest" and "The Lost Patrol"). Madeleine Carroll and Franchot Tone star as members of opposing sides of the family at the helm of a company that is the most prosperous in the cotton industry. They first meet in 1825 in New Orleans, after the death of Sebastian Girard, patriarch of the American side of the successful family. He left detailed instructions as to how he expected business matters to be handled once he was gone, these plans included the family business becoming more fully affiliated with Mr. Warburton, and expansion to Europe. Each of his sons was given a region that they'd be in charge of, and Richard (Tone) was to take his father's place as the head of the company. The Warburton and Girard partnership begins, and both families agree that nothing will stand in the way of the success of their business affairs, which is spelled out in a toast that is repeated throughout the next hundred years.
Because of this pact of sorts, and their own senses of decency, Richard and Mrs. Warburton (Carroll), who have fallen in love, do nothing about it. Four successful generations later, a young Richard Girard meets Mary Warburton, and the two have a sense of déjà vu. Serving as stumbling blocks on their road to happiness are her engagement to Erik von Gerhardt (Reginald Denny), one of their relatives who is in charge of the company's German operations, and World War I. Tone is charismatic and he and Carroll have adequate chemistry; the relationship between their characters is unevenly written at times, but ultimately satisfactory.
The family saga continues through the stock market crash of 1929, and ends on a hopeful note with it's not-so-subtle visual salute to religion and spirituality. Ford's style shines through, specifically in a couple of intense battle scenes, and for his work he won a Special Recommendation at the Venice Film Festival, but the Reginald Berkeley script teeters on becoming tiresome and several minutes could have been shaved off the running time. Cinematography by George Schneidermann (who'd worked with Ford on "Judge Priest") and good performances by Tone, Carroll, and Denny. The supporting cast including Sig Rumann, Louise Dresser, and Stepin Fetchit, giving one of his trademark over-the-top performances (which many later pointed to as prime examples of insulting African American stereotypes). Francis Ford, John's older brother, appears briefly as a legionnaire.
© 1999 Heather Picker
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