Frank Lloyd's adaptation of Noël Coward's "Cavalcade" is one of the lesser known Best Picture winners. It focuses on a pair of families in England over the course of three decades. There's the upper-crust Marryots, and their servants, the Bridgeses. The rich family is used to seeing their country dominate the globe, and there's no shortage of wars getting fought - the Boer War, World War I - to ensure that the United Kingdom will continue to rule the world. One scene even takes place aboard the Titanic. But there are soon to be changes in the lives of this rich family, starting with Queen Victoria's death.
With WWI still fresh in people's minds, it makes sense that the movie takes an anti-war stance, showing countless people getting killed on the battlefield. That war was one of the most senseless ever (and the Versailles Negotiations set the stage for WWII, the Vietnam War, and the current bloodshed in the Middle East). The 1920s and 1930s were the brief period when it authentically looked as though the world would avoid war. The Marryots, having seen the changes that have transpired since the dawn of the 20th century, can luxuriate in their wealth, but can only wonder what the future will bring.
Among the other things that I noticed was that the recruiting song performed by the woman in the tavern (I'll Make a Man of You) also got performed by Maggie Smith's character in Richard Attenborough's anti-war musical "Oh! What a Lovely War".
So, it's not the greatest movie ever made, but worth seeing.
With WWI still fresh in people's minds, it makes sense that the movie takes an anti-war stance, showing countless people getting killed on the battlefield. That war was one of the most senseless ever (and the Versailles Negotiations set the stage for WWII, the Vietnam War, and the current bloodshed in the Middle East). The 1920s and 1930s were the brief period when it authentically looked as though the world would avoid war. The Marryots, having seen the changes that have transpired since the dawn of the 20th century, can luxuriate in their wealth, but can only wonder what the future will bring.
Among the other things that I noticed was that the recruiting song performed by the woman in the tavern (I'll Make a Man of You) also got performed by Maggie Smith's character in Richard Attenborough's anti-war musical "Oh! What a Lovely War".
So, it's not the greatest movie ever made, but worth seeing.