Today We Live

Despite a fairly lukewarm critical reception, that a great director and an immensely talented cast were reasons enough to see 'Today We Live'. Really like to love quite a lot of Howard Hawks' films, he was a gifted director and a versatile and influential (certainly for other directors) one with one of his more distinctive touches being how he portrayed his female characters. Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone promise a lot individually, imagine how they would fare together.

Which actually for me was a bit of a mixed bag. In a rather strange mixed bag of a film. Not awful and watchable in a way when it finally picks up, but all involved have done and been in so much better (Crawford though did do a lot worse as well) than 'Today We Live'. Good things there are definitely, but a lot of things also could have been done a lot better. The idea was not a bad one, but the execution was on the other hand rather patchy.

'Today We Live' has good things. It looks good and is well shot in particular. William Axt's score is suitably moody. Hawks' direction does pick up when the action comes in in the second half, where he is more in his comfort zone.

Furthermore, the second half is better than the first. More confident with more story, and the action is well staged and excites. Some of the atmosphere is somewhat dream-like in a surreal sort of way. The cast are a mixed bag, but a couple are good. With a likeable Tone coming off best. He has good chemistry with Crawford, who has some affecting moments.

As well as some rather over-compensated and bland ones. Robert Young does his best but his character once again is underwritten. Gary Cooper looks rather lost and there is not much chemistry between him and Crawford. Hawks' direction doesn't seem very engaged or at ease in the early stages.

One of the worst things, maybe the worst thing, is the script. The clipped awkwardness is really quite painful and it sounds in dialogue and line delivery pretty stilted and like there wasn't much of a script at all. The story has its moments in the second half but is dull, almost drawn out in the less eventful scenes, and bland in the first. There is also some serious suspension of disbelief needed as the whole film is full of credibility straining.

Concluding, a strange mixed bag of a film. 5/10

This love story set during WW I, is a pretty boring affair despite of the casting of a young Gary Cooper and a Beautiful Joan Crawford.There seems to be no Chemistry between the two leads.Robert Young as the third part of the triangle is perhaps a bit old for his role,but pulls it off quite well.The only real chemistry with Crawford has the actor playing her brother,Franchot Tone, he gives perhaps the best performance in the movie together with Cooper's sidekick Roscoe Karns. Crawford and Tone fell in love during the shooting of this movie and it shows quite clearly in their scenes together.The aviation scenes are what really saves this movie.They're excellently made considering the vintage of this film.Too bad the rest of the story is so boring.

This early Hawks' film has many of the themes that will frequently appear in all his filmography, like friendship between men or the professional skill as a mean of survival in dangerous situations. After a weak start the movie takes off during the plane and boat attacks, when Joan Crawford's character is somehow left aside. All in all, her character appears more like a nuisance than anything else. Her first appearance during the tea scene is promising but from there on she'll lack the mannish qualities of other Hawks' females. It is clear that the love interests all through the film are between Cooper, Tone and Young. Claude's blindness reminds other physical impediments of Hawksian heroes. This film, however, closes with a display of self sacrifice and heroism seldom seen in the director's universe. There's also some unusual appearance of religious elements. Although a film "d'epoque", Hawks cannot help turning the material into a modern piece. Some fine scenes, like the aviator instructing the neophyte gunman about the dangers of throwing up, or the wake of the dead cockroach are a true landmark of the director's imaginary, and a clear proof of his ability to turn any material into his own.

In the one and only film Gary Cooper and Joan Crawford made together, unless you count their joint cameo in It's A Great Feeling, it's one very old fashioned wartime soap opera set in the United Kingdom during World War I and then in France.

Howard Hawks maybe was the wrong director for this film. It might have been better handled by someone like Frank Borzage or George Cukor where they might have made the tender romantic lines believable. I don't think anyone would have believed Joan Crawford as British. Elegant she does look however in those gowns she was famous for in her early films.

Joan shouldn't be blamed for not sounding British. The story involves a mixture of British and American characters. But in checking out the entire cast list, I found only three of them were actually born across the pond and another born in Australia. Where was the fabled Hollywood British colony in this film.?

Gary Cooper is an American aviator who takes over Joan's estate following the death of her father. She's already involved with fellow countryman Robert Young who's in His Majesty's Navy. Also around is her brother Franchot Tone who gives the best performance in the film. As we all know this was Tone's first film with the woman who became his wife in a couple of years.

The romance is pure soap opera with Joan going back and forth from Cooper to Young and back. You know that someone is going to have to do the decent thing. If you're interested you can watch the film for who does.

Courtesy of Hawks's earlier masterpiece and from Mr. Howard Hughes came some nice aerial footage from Hell's Angels. Aviation enthusiasts if there willing to sit through the drama will get a real treat with all the vintage World War I aircraft.

It's too bad Cooper and Crawford did not get something better. Of course Gary later worked with Howard Hawks on Sergeant York and Ball of Fire. Now those are films not to be missed.

This film could have been great with some adequate dialogue and character development. For some reason the makers of this film seemed to believe that because three of the main characters were supposed to be British that it was necessary that they speak in incomplete sentences, usually missing nouns, and that they speak as though tranquilized. They all still sound American, they're just having half of every conversation.

Bogard (Gary Cooper) is an American who takes over a British estate during World War I before the Americans enter the fray because the current residents can no longer afford it since the father is in the military at the time. The daughter, Diana (Joan Crawford) moves into one of the servant's quarters and her brother Ronnie (Franchot Tone) and their lifetime friend Claude (Robert Young) join up with the British forces and ship out to France. The development of the romance between Bogard and Diana consists (onscreen) of exactly one bike ride in which Bogard declares his love and Diana's one word sentences make her seem disinterested. However, at the end of the ride she says rather emotionlessly that she loves Bogard. The two might as well be using semaphores to communicate, the conversation is that wooden.

Diana goes to France to help the war effort, with her brother and childhood sweetheart seeing action nearby. In France she gets news that Bogard is dead, although that news is incorrect. Based on that information she then makes a rash decision that she later regrets when Bogard shows up at her door.

On the other hand, the action sequences, both in the air and on the sea, are extremely well done and photographed. It's just a shame when such a fine cast as this film had all have their performances put in a straight jacket. The one thing that even the director couldn't do was put a complete damper on the chemistry between Franchot Tone and Joan Crawford. This is the film where they fell in love, and their scenes together show it, even though they are playing brother and sister here.