The Hasty Heart

Here is a movie no one talks about, yet it belongs among the best movies to come out of Hollywood.

Richard Todd reprised his stage role and received an Oscar nomination for this largely unknown movie. Yet, if you have a chance, DO NOT miss it.

It moves you, and it makes you laugh and smile. The story is simple but the emotion runs deep.

Some may point out that the ending may be inappropriate to the subject's tone. Yet, we do see that a man's life can been changed and improved by some simple gestures of friendship. And that is all we really want to see. The rest would have truly made this a maudlin effort.

Contrary to all of the criticism, scoffing and easy ridicule of the merely two (2) Reagan "Bonzo" movies, he sure was a fine actor and we were lucky to have him in the movies.

See it.

I join others praising this movie. Is it sentimental? Well, yes. Is it simple? Yes. In fact, does the main character seem a little simple? Yes - the acting by Oscar nominated Richard Todd is a bit broad to my taste. (I quite admire Todd - who, in The Longest Day, played virtually the part he played in the real D Day landing; generally Todd is rather stoic and understated in his acting - e.g., D Day: The Sixth of June - not so here).

Still, there is something about this movie that really grabs you - like say, The Fantasticks - simple, yet quite true, very humane and in its own way, powerful.

Reagan is his usual fine self - I think always underrated as an actor - e.g., see his smallish part in Bette Davis' Dark Victory (he's a lazy society swell). Patricia Neal is the sort of woman you DO fall for.

The fact that they do not sugarcoat the ending - we know the future will be grim, is to the movie's benefit. These were dark days - all these men had been through the Depression, had been in a vicious War in Burma for years, had seen, and caused others, death many many times. They're far more matter of fact about death than any contemporary movie would make its characters -"oh, too bad, a bad break" is the comment. The acceptance of this grim reality made me think about the resilience of people and the stoicism of that generation.

Do see it- it's a wonderful simple tearjerker that you won't forget.

This film is one of Reagan's best. I'm of Scottish descent and the

Scots are not exactly portrayed in the best light, yet I still loved it. Excellent movie, excellent cast. It makes you cry, it makes you laugh. What more can you ask for in a film? People of different races and cultures getting along is a sight for sore eyes these days. Bring back the old movies and maybe people will learn something about unity.It's a heart-warming film and those who don't get that just don't GET IT. I had to watch this again after President Reagan passed away and it made me sad in a whole new way.Things took on a different meaning but that's okay. What didn't change was the quality of the film.

As a fan of neither soap operas nor Ronald Reagan I find myself utterly captivated by the movie of The Hasty Heart, a popular play of the postwar years, which was filmed in England by Warner Brothers. Richard Todd plays Lachy, a proud, somewhat obnoxious Scotsman who is assigned to a Burmese hospital, where he is presumably recovering from surgery but in fact dying, a fact kept from him by the medical staff. The other patients are told to go easy on the fellow, to make friends with him, which they do, with considerable opposition from Lachy himself, who did not up to this time have friends. There is some excellent dialogue along the way, as the various patients and staff members attempt to soften up this hard case, which in the end they do. The acting, of Richard Todd, as Lachy, and Patricia Neal, as the nurse he develops what I guess one would call a crush on, is quite good, but what makes the film somewhat of a revelation is the truly excellent performance of none other than Ronald Reagan, as Yank, the one American among the patients, and nobody's fool. Reagan does not play his part for charm. Yank is in his way as tough as Lachy, only he accepts life and Lachy doesn't. He too has a hard streak, but also compassion; and he is never soft. The interaction between the astringent Yank and everyone else is, thanks to Mr. Reagan, far and above the liveliest part of the film, which depending on one's mood can be either inspiring, in a gentle sort of way, or vaguely depressing, given its subject matter. This is a fine example of a well-made play of the sort its author, John Patrick, was an expert at. One doesn't see too many of them around these days, as they have gone out of fashion, as the art of the drama has, for good or ill, moved on. After seeing this movie one might have second thoughts about the notion that the theatre has, in the last half-century, moved on to better things.

It has been some time and dozens of films since I've been so moved. Although no fan of Reagan, I appreciated him here. And I've always been charmed by Neal. The supporting cast was also quite fine. But the performance by Richard Todd deserved every bit of critical praise he's received. Was Broderick Crawford's award win more deserved that year? Tough to say now, in light of this screening. Of course, it matters not. It is history. What I can say is that of all the nominated performances from 1949, I was no where near as moved, as touched. The emotional depth caught me by surprise. The bits of humor welcome and appropriate. Albeit somewhat melodramatic, I was reminded of the decency there is. Watch this one. It'll stay with you a while. You won't be disappointed.