Journey's End

Whale's debut came via this filmization of a classic war-themed play by R.C. Sheriff (for its 1976 remake ACES HIGH, the milieu of grimy trenches was changed to accommodate the aerial dog-fights!), which he and leading man Colin Clive had actually originated on Broadway (with Laurence Olivier taking the lead in its run at London's West End!). I purchased the book during a local book fair in the mistaken belief I would never get to watch the film in view of its rarity – which I then acquired via an old but serviceable Channel 4 TV broadcast complete with intermittent publicity spots! A British production, it was however shot in Hollywood and, following its success, director and star stayed on, re-teaming not long after for FRANKENSTEIN (1931) – which obviously cemented their reputation.

For the record, the same year as this one saw the release of two other major anti-war films i.e. Lewis Milestone's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT and G.W. Pabst's WESTFRONT 1918. Whale's effort, albeit rather thin for a 2-hour movie, compares quite favorably in spite of its necessarily talky nature (oddly enough, what the various characters seem mainly concerned with is nourishment!) and staginess (not to mention the fact that it was made by a debutante). Though rarely straying outside its central underground setting (Whale's background as a set designer invariably came in handy here), with resultant static camera-work, its one battle sequence is magnificently staged (in this respect, at least, it is clearly superior to Whale's subsequent and generally more fluid war effort THE ROAD BACK [1937]).

Being an early Talkie, I was afraid that the all-important dialogue would suffer from the primitive Sound technique; however, this came off reasonably clearly most of the time. Equally pivotal was the casting: interestingly, this would incorporate numerous actors who would come to be associated with the horror genre – not just Clive but David Manners (DRACULA [1931], THE MUMMY [1932] and THE BLACK CAT [1934]), Anthony Bushell (THE GHOUL [1933]) and Billy Bevan (DRACULA'S Daughter [1936])! All gave solid performances: that said, Manners' rookie hero-worshipping Clive – interestingly, their relationship parallels that of Richard Cromwell and John King in THE ROAD BACK – is not really any deeper than his romantic leads in the horror pictures. Bevan has a sizeable part for once, while Bushell plays a cowardly officer who arouses Clive's contempt and ire – even if the latter, still a young man himself despite the weathered look (augmented by mellifluous voice and a perennially tortured demeanor), admits to submerging his own fears in drink. Tragically, this form of solace was undertaken by the actor himself (following Whale's own advice!) which would turn into a chronic vice soon enough and claim his life seven years later at just 37!

Understandably many people have called Journey's End an Anti-War film and it seems so because it reflects the terrible plight in the trenches. However R.C.Sheriff did not write this as an indictment of the Great War. It was of the brotherly love felt between two people in a time of stress. Sheriff, who served in the trenches before being wounded at Ypres never felt the great anger that appeared in All Quiet on the Western Front, Goodbye to all that etc. In fact a majority of serving personnel felt anger towards the pacifist nature of Sassoon and fellow anti-war writers.(read A subaltern's War by Charles Edmonds or some of the Ira Jones Books) One must remember that many had spent four years of hell in the trenches and to be all told that it was wasted time was pure anathema. In today's world, where we have been educated on the 'Oh, what a lovely war", Barkers trilogy and BirdSong it is more clear, in hindsight, as to the failure of Generals and the pointlessness of it all. By the way, one of the first actors to read for the London production was an unknown young actor called Lawrence Olivier

This straightforward but gripping record of R.C.Sherriff's play like most depictions of The Great War concentrates on the nervous calm behind the lines before the final apocalypse; ending irrevocably with most of those with whom we have been sharing their final days going over the top, swept up into the awaiting maelstrom, and from then on now belonging to the ages.

This is the film that started it all (in more ways than one). This was the play and subsequent film which gave rise to the career of James Whale - acclaimed director of such hits as Waterloo Bridge, Showboat, The Man in the Iron Mask, as well as being the father of horror with Frankenstein, The Old Dark House, The Invisible Man, and The Bride of Frankenstein. Without his directing this play, whose meteoric rise in England paved his way to Hollywood, we might never have been given the same treatment of Shelley's opus and the key to modern horror films.

The film itself is also a first in that it was the first major film to deal with World War I in such a way that brought it's own brand of horror to the masses. As with other filmmakers whose actual wartime experiences have brought us closer to the realities of war (Oliver Stone, Samuel Fuller, to name a couple) the material was emotional and close to Whale.

Although the first film of this type and a box office hit, Journey's End would yield to All Quiet On the Western Front as the definitive WWI film. Truthfully, All Quiet... is a much better film, however, they are two distinct films dealing with the "reality" of war from wholly different perspectives. All Quiet... gives stirring battle sequences which still stand up but also attempts to represent the common soldier's experience. Journey's End, a play written by RC Sheriff tells the story from the perspective of English officers, of which Sheriff and Whale had both been apart. In this regard, the material can be appear dated and seem more melodramatic than intended.

The film suffers more from the simplistic camera settings than from its significance as an early talkie. Whale's direction is handled perfunctorily as if recreating the stage play. There are a few scenes which go beyond this limitation but they are few in 120 minutes of film. The true success is the first film performance of Colin Clive who handled the material for Whale on stage as Captain Stanhope (after Laurence Olivier left the play after its initial run). Clive is cast perfectly as the tormented Captain (a mood he would later immortalize in Frankenstein). Ian McLaren also deserves recognition as the intelligently human face of Lt. Osbourne.

There are many reasons to seek out this rare historical film. From its place in cinematic lore and significance in the War genre to the fine performances. Either way, its a treat.

James Whale had served in World War 1, and this powerful anti-war film has a strong feeling of authenticity as a result. Whale obviously understood the feeling of being in the trenches of World War 1, and manages to convey this feeling strongly to his audience. In a way the terrible technical restrictions of early sound recording help to convey the claustrophobia of trench warfare - the lack of camera and actor movement make the audience feel like they too are stuck in the trenches. Of course it would have been great if the rare action sequences were less confusing and better filmed, but in the end the film is still quite overwhelmingly emotional. This is due in no small part to the excellent performances. Colin Clive and David Manners are particularly memorable.

Whale does not have the opportunity, in this early talkie, to display the great visual flare that he would later become renowned for, but it is, nonetheless, an auspicious start to a great career. 8/10.