War Nurse

Released in 1930, "War Nurse" is a story about women who volunteered to serve as nurses in WWI. Coming from varied backgrounds, they quickly find themselves manning a hospital in a small French town. Though the conditions are trying and supplies are somewhat scarce, they work long hours tending to a seemingly endless stream of wounded and dying soldiers. The women become a close knit group, sharing their fears and dreams with each other through some tough times.

There are also lighter moments in this film, especially regarding the soldiers and fliers who come to know the nurses. Chief among these is Wally (Robert Montgomery), who is a confident flier always looking to score with the ladies. He meets Babs (June Walker), a rather straitlaced girl who falls for his line in a big way. In a pivotal scene, he explains to Babs that his philosophy is to "take what you can get" from life, because the future is so uncertain in the midst of war. He also says that war makes people "cheap and rotten". Babs wonders if it might even be a girl's patriotic duty to play along, making a pilot "happy" before he's sent off on another mission.

Another young nurse, Joy (Anita Page) falls for a patient in her care, only to be heartbroken later. I thought her performance was mostly good, but when she had to cry it rang false for me.

In 1930, talkies were still a new phenomenon. Still, the sound quality in this film was fine. Obviously, sound effects was a new technical area, and some of the sound effects were amateurish. The visual effects were a mixed bag. The use of back screens and model planes--though state of the art for their time--were distracting. On the other hand, the explosion effects used in bombing scenes were excellent, and the shots of exploding buildings and collapsing ceilings were realistic enough to hold up in today's films!

The editing of "War Nurse" is sometimes choppy, especially near the end. But the film, overall, is a solid tribute to the women (and men) who put themselves in harm's way for a good cause. And it is a realistic enough depiction of war to demonstrate its tragic nature.

I was a bit surprised by the premise of this film. It seems that not all the nurses used during WWI were actually trained nurses. In other words, while the Red Cross provided many well-trained nurses with surgical and nursing experience, many of the volunteers were just ladies who were willing to give it a try! This film is specifically about these ladies.

As far as the types of women you see in the film, they all are a bit different. Some are very professional and dedicated and some are more flighty and annoying. One of the worst of them is actually the leading lady, Anita Page, who plays a nurse who seems awfully interested in romance and who seems ready to crack up at a moment's notice! While annoying, however, this is probably pretty realistic- -and it was very tough work to say the least.

Overall, this is a pretty good little film. At times it's gritty and blunt about sex for 1930, though in some ways it is all a bit sanitized as you really see no blood and the horrors of war aren't nearly as horrific as you'll see in contemporary films like "All Quiet on the Western Front". Not a brilliant film but one that is worth seeing, well acted and well written.

Sound quality is a little iffy in this early talkie from MGM. Anita Paige and Robert Montgomery. Even Zasu Pitts and Hedda Hopper. Also some STRONG regional accents that really come out now and then. Nurses date the soldiers in between surgical procedures during the war. They have daily adventures, and spout clever aphorisms to each other. At one point, the pilots are shown landing with mountains in the background... probably Burbank or Orange county. Palm Springs landing strip wasn't built yet. Directed by Edgar Selwyn, whose early life was full of strife and adventure, if the bio on IMDb is accurate. Apparently, the "wyn" from his name is part of the "Goldwyn" studio name. On IMDb, it is said he was considering going for a ride on the titanic, but couldn't make the trip. Some fun life stories, with the war as a serious backdrop. Because its such an early talkie, they still use a title card at the very end with a tribute to the "War Nurses". Not bad. Fun to watch. Some serious moments of loss, but it does take place during wartime, so that is expected.

... as almost all films about WWI were by the year 1930, as nobody could seem to remember exactly what this war was about.

The film is about how the war brings together people from all walks of life - a society woman (Hedda Hopper credited only as "matron"), a homely schoolteacher interested in art not men (Helen Jerome Eddy as Kansas), an American girl in a French convent school forced to close because of the war (Anita Page as Joy, who thinks this is going to be far more glamorous than it is), etc. All of these come to France as war nurses for the Allies.

But after they've scrubbed enough latrines, run out of PPE, run out of morphine, dealt with enough death and men with their faces, arms, and legs blown off the nurses learn to emotionally distance themselves from the horror and sleep through the gunfire at night. As for the men, it makes them want to live for now because there may be no tomorrow. Apparently that explanation - given as part of the dialog between nurses - is supposed to be absolution for a French doctor accosting one of the nurses, and for all of the flyers/soldiers lying about marital intent or even current marital status.

Robert Montgomery plays a flier who relentlessly pursues Babs - one of the nurses and a plain spoken girl with a good head on her shoulders. She becomes good friends with Joy, who is going to need a friend before this film is over. Robert Ames plays a no good snake. My apology to snakes everywhere. Zasu Pitts is not playing her familiar dithering blithering persona, but is instead an assertive wise cracker that trades barbs with Marie Prevost's character.

The odd thing about this film? June Walker, mainly a stage actress, is playing the leading lady here and Robert Montgomery's love interest rather than the better known MGM star Anita Page. Walker had not made a movie since 1921. She did not make another until 1942, and yet her performance holds up.

This film tells the tale of a group of young "war nurses". The opening scenes show them drinking and thinking that being a war nurse will be relatively easy. This is especially apparent with the character played by Anita Page. Most of these girls are unprepared and have no idea of what they are about to go through. Soon enough, the harsh realities of war hits them in the face. War Nurse doesn't rank up there with The Big Parade or All Quiet on the Western Front but it does have several points in it's favor. The performances are all good. Anita Page is perfectly cast and she convincingly portrays the wide-eyed, innocent young girl. Helene Jerome Eddy, a popular silent player who also had a long career in talkies, is especially good, as is Marie Prevost. The war atmosphere is well presented. And these nurses are portrayed as valiant, selfless and always ready to do their share. Not a major motion picture but still a pretty good one.