The Right to Live

... and although the story might even seem clichéd today, during the first days of the enforcement of the production code I'm surprised this one got past the censors.

Stella (Josephine Hutchinson) marries free spirited wealthy aviator Maurice Trent (Colin Clive), and all seems well until one day a plane crash steals Maurice's ability to walk and apparently even to sit for long periods - you never see him in a wheelchair. He's either in bed or in a kind of rolling bed.

Maurice's doctor (Leo G. Carroll as Dr. Harvester) and family friend (Aubrey Smith as Major Licondra) decide to hide the truth from Maurice - that he will always be as he is. This is because Maurice had such a love of life prior to the accident that they are afraid of his reaction if he finds out existence is to be a prison for him, perhaps into old age.

Maurice takes his bitterness and depression out on his nurse - and then apologizes - telling her he must release his bitterness on her so that his wife sees only his sunny side. Maurice also invites his brother Colin (George Brent) to make an extended visit and keep his wife entertained with nights on the town that he would be having with her if not for his invalid condition, which at this point he still considers temporary.

Stella falls for Colin, and both wrestle with the right thing to do. She could stay with Maurice - who could live perhaps for decades - but she doesn't want her affection for him to turn to resentment. She could follow her passion and go with Colin, but that would be an abrupt crushing blow to Maurice coupled with the certainty that he will soon know his condition is permanent. Any decision has both a kindness and a cruelty to it from the aspect of its effect on Maurice. How does this play out? Watch and find out.

Considering the production code's strict enforcement during this time the film is particularly daring in the sense that it deals realistically and sympathetically with the impact on the soul of being suddenly transformed from a vigorous person into an invalid with no hope.

This film is a remake of a famous play by W. Somerset Maugham called "The Sacred Flame". The original 1929 version is lost so there is nothing to compare this one to. The main characters are played by George Brent (who always looked fabulous in a dinner jacket) and Colin Clive as brothers in love with the same woman, Josephine Hutchinson . Colin Clive plays an amateur aviator (who lives on a beautiful estate with his mother) , marries a lovely woman (Ms. Hutchinson) and then has a tragic accident which leaves him with spinal damage and no hope of recovery. Enter George Brent (as Clive's brother) and as they say, the plot thickens.But the real reason to watch this movie is the incredible supporting cast. There is C. Aubrey Smith (who is always the consummate British gentleman) and Leo G. Carrol ( who lent class to any film and had impeccable diction) and an early Peggy Wood before she became everyone's favorite MAMA. If you love the 1930's films with their soap opera plots, great sets and WONDERFUL woman's costume by top designers (in this case Orry Kelly) then by all means watch this movie. Not on VHS or DVD but there is always TCM (thank heavens).

Does the young wife of a handicapped man still have THE RIGHT TO LIVE and enjoy some happiness?

What could have been a rather turgid soap opera is instead a very watchable adaptation of Somerset Maugham's play The Sacred Flame. This is mainly due to an intelligent script and excellent acting from the entire cast. It's also refreshing to watch a story in which there are no villains, only good people trying to deal with heartrending circumstances.

Lovely Josephine Hutchinson, an actress sadly obscure today, charms the audience instantly as a young wife who must make a terrible choice between two brothers who adore her. They are played by flying enthusiast Colin Clive and plantation manager George Brent, both sensitive to duty, each willing to make a valiant sacrifice for Miss Hutchinson's happiness. Their wise old mother is sensitively portrayed by Henrietta Crosman.

Giving good support are Peggy Wood as a quiet nurse with a heavy heart; Leo G. Carroll as the friendly family doctor; and Halliwell Hobbes as an expert medical specialist. Best of all is wonderful old Sir C. Aubrey Smith as a retired Major home from India.

Movie mavens will recognize an unbilled Forrester Harvey as a genial British Bobby.

Simply put, THE RIGHT TO LIFE arguably features the tragic Colin Clive's greatest performance on film. Made just before BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, and costarring Josephine Hutchinson, who four years later would become "The Bride of the SON OF FRANKENSTEIN" to Basil Rathbone in the third of the Universal "Frankenstein" series (effectively becoming the late Colin Clive's daughter-in-law!), this film gives you the chance to see the much-tortured Clive just before he had to crank himself back up to a fever pitch for James Whale as Henry Frankenstein in BRIDE. His final scene with Hutchinson in THE RIGHT TO LIVE is utterly, believably heartbreaking. Two years later, he was dead, his ashed remaining unclaimed in the basement of a Hollywood mortuary for the next 41 years. Henrietta Crosman, so insidiously jealous and selfish in John Ford's great 1933 masterpiece PILGRIMAGE, superbly plays a VERY different sort of mother here, and the supporting cast is outstanding.

I really can respect this film. In a Post-Code world where films rarely dealt with topics like this, it's an amazingly frank and effective film that must have ruffled some feathers when it debuted. After all, suicide and adultery were topics that were not supposed to be allowed by the very conservative years following the adoption of the strengthened Production Code in 1934.

The film begins with a couple falling in love and getting married (Josephine Hutchinson and Colin Clive). Sadly, shortly after their honeymoon, the husband is involved in an airplane accident a is paralyzed--permanently. However, his new wife is devoted to him and refuses to have a life of her own--and it pains the husband to see her doing this. He maintains a happy and hopeful demeanor but he realizes it can't go on like this. So, the husband manipulates the situation--inviting his brother (George Brent) to stay with them and deliberately puts his brother and his wife together on many opportunities. Not surprisingly, eventually Brent and Hutchinson begin having feelings for each other--but both are too decent to act upon this.

Then, not too surprisingly, Clive dies. It's ruled a death by natural causes, but his nurse insists that he was murdered--as some of his medicine is missing. And, sadly, the nurse is very vindictive towards the wife and makes a lot of trouble. It's obvious, then, that the nurse is doing this because she has strong feelings towards Clive. What happened and why did Clive die? Well, I don't think it's a huge leap to guess what happened, I love how this film brings up many moral dilemmas--ones without clear answers--ones religious and non-religious people might struggle with as well. Assisted or voluntary suicide, quality of life issues and the like are all important--and topics films are usually just too scared to deal with or address seriously. My advice is to watch this one--and have some Kleenex handy. It has excellent acting, wonderfully writing and couldn't have been improved upon in any significant way. A very sad but thought-provoking little sleeper--I know it sure got me thinking.

By the way, Josephine Hutchinson was very good and it's sad that she didn't make more a name for herself in films. As for Clive, even sadder is that within two years he was dead--from a combination of the effects of tuberculosis, pneumonia and alcoholism.

Also, that final scene between Clive and his mother (Henrietta Crosman) is one of the saddest yet wonderfully handled I've sen in years. Wow.....I'm all choked up as I sit here watching.