Der Weg im Dunkel

In classic Enchantment, Four Feathers, and Casablanca glory, The Dark Angel is a wartime romance that pins Fredric March and Herbert Marshall against each other for the hand of Merle Oberon. As children, the three grew up as close friends, with young Merle desperately in love with Freddie. Once they grow up, of course, hormones kick in and both men fall in love with their younger playmate. Then, with WWI breaking out, Merle makes the choice to follow her heart, but with unforeseen consequences. . .

My mom always roots for Herbert Marshall's character when she watches this movie, but I think it's just because she's partial to him in other movies. There's nothing wrong with Fredric March's character, and it really does feel like he loves Merle just as much as Bart. But, just in case you prefer Bart, you'll be in good company.

Personally, I like Enchantment and the 1978 version of Four Feathers better, but there are some cute moments. It gets a little far fetched towards the end, but isn't that what old movies are for? A little tears, a little romance, and a little melodrama over a wartime setting. If you agree, check out this classic.

An early soaper from 1935 dealing w/a love triangle circa after the first Word War. Starring Fredric March, Merle Oberon & Herbert Marshall, we find March & Oberon, childhood sweethearts & now adults declaring their love for each other & getting wed right while the Great War is ravaging Europe. March & Marshall go off to war & inevitably as things go in films like this, March is blinded but is believed dead by Marshall who returns home to Oberon where they console each other but March feeling he doesn't want to be a burden to his friends & loved ones, decides to return to his home town (miles from where he used to live) & becomes a sensation as a children's book writer content in his solitude & assured of his justified sacrifice but when paths are crossed (didn't see that coming!), March must face his old life & see if old wounds can be mended. A good story (a remake is not out of the question if someone is up to the task) which is constantly hampered by the stilted approach to the story (the tools of the trade had not been properly honed yet) but to see the genesis of this kind of love story is still an education.

This 1935 film was well produced and directed and had a great cast of dramatic Classic Actors, who were all super stars during the 20's, 30's and into the 40's. Merle Oberon, (Kitty Vane),"Interval",'73, plays a young woman who is really in love with two men in her life, which creates a sort of triangle situation and causes her great mental suffering. Fredric March,(Alan Trent),"The Iceman Cometh",'72 plays a boyhood friend to Kitty Vane and comes home with a great disability which he does not want Kitty to know about. Herbert Marshall,(Gerald Shannon),"Midnight Lace",'60 is also in love with Kitty and the possibility of their getting married is becoming quite certain. This film will keep you interested if you like old time actors and films made in 1935. Enjoy

Handsomely photographed and nicely scored romantic drama from Samuel Goldwyn about a childhood friendship between three people that develops into an intense romantic triangle.

MERLE OBERON, FREDRIC MARCH and HERBERT MARSHALL have the pivotal roles as star-crossed lovers during the World War I period. Unfortunately, the three leads are lifelong friends destined to have their lives shattered by the war. Love, guilt and fate play a part in their lives when March is blinded but keeps away from Oberon, unable to tell her the truth and letting her think he's died. As for the rest of the plot, with a screenplay by Lillian Hellman, you have to watch the film.

Nobody stumbles in any of the roles and, in fact, MERLE OBERON won her only Best Actress nomination as Kitty, warm and appealing as the romantic interest of both men. The tearful final reunion scene will remind you of the final touching scene from RANDOM HARVEST where Smitty and his lost love find each other again.

Modern viewers beware. You'll probably find some of the tear-jerking moments a bit too mawkish but remember, this was the 1930s.

Trivia note: Oberon was photographed much more flatteringly in another film she appeared in that year, THE SCARLET PIMPERNELL. What a difference a more flattering hairdo and period costumes make!!

English actress Merle Oberon was excited about her relocation to the United States after receiving several job offers before her first lead in a Hollywood movie, September 1935 "The Dark Angel." "I had looked forward to Hollywood and thought I was going to have a grand time," she recalled years later. "British people are much more reserved and harder to become acquainted with, but Americans are widely known for their generous attitude toward strangers. Well, I went to two parties on my first visit to Hollywood, and no more." However, after "The Dark Angel" premiered, she suddenly became a movie star in Tinseltown, and things turned socially around for her on a dime.

"I took a house at the beach and, determining to live my own life quietly, I have found, strangely enough, the same people who insulted me on my first trip are now very pleasant," Oberon said. "The one person who was really nice to me and from whom I least expected it-I don't know why, now that I know her-was Jean Harlow. She came clear across the room to meet me and said something very gracious about admiring my work and wanting to know more of me."

Her performance in "The Dark Angel" instantly turned her into a sensation with the American movie public. Oberon was nominated by the Academy Awards for Best Actress, her only time she received such an honor. It helped to have two smooth actors whose characters on the screen were courting her, Frederic March as Alan Trent, and Herbert Marshall as Gerald Shannon. In the movie they were boyhood friends of hers who both grew up loving Kitty Vane (Oberon). Alan turns out to be winner for her hand, but World War One cruelly enters these three British lives. Sharing a similar storyline as the much-heralded 1932 "Smilin' Along," including the same director, Sidney Franklin and actor March, "The Dark Angel" sees a wounded Alan losing his eyesight. He can't see himself burdening Kitty throughout the rest of her life.

Maclean Magazine film reviewer Ann Ross wrote at the time of "The Dark Angel's" release, "If this picture doesn't have you sobbing before it is over it isn't the fault of the producers and director. The whole thing is managed with the greatest tact and modesty, as though everyone concerned, while determined to wring as many tears as possible, was a little ashamed to be caught doing it." Lillian Hellman, one of the screenwriters collaborating on the adaptation of a 1925 Guy Bolton play of the same name, was just fresh off her enormously successful Broadway play "The Children's Hour." Hellman had been hired by producer Samuel Goldwyn at $2,500 a week, and "Dark Angel" was her first crack at movie scriptwriting.

Cameraman Greg Toland was becoming known for his genius in creating stunning photographic moving images. One particular scene is known for showcasing his talents when Alan and Kitty drive off after frustrated at not marrying before he shoves off to the war front. The pair are in back of a taxi when the scene transitions to soldiers under fire. Film critic Jose Arroyo calls the effect "visually stunning, expressive and affecting."

Despite Oberon losing out to Bette Davis for the Academy's Best Actress award, "The Dark Angel" won for Best Art Direction, highlighting the many English gardens and the posh interior sets of the manor homes shown. The movie was also nominated for Best Sound Recording.