Isto, Acima de Tudo

This is a propaganda movie ,but which meant much for Litvak ,a Russian whose career began in Germany ,then continued in France ,before " Mayerling " led him to Hollywood : his film begins with the 1940 Dunkirk disaster and the armistice France was forced to sign with the nazis .

Like Wyler's "Mrs Minniver" ,it takes place in England ,where a young aristocrat (Fontaine) joins the WAAF ,partly a rebel stand against a selfish auntie (Gladys Cooper) .

The first part of the movie is everything but derivative : a man in civilian clothes (Power) who falls for a woman in uniform (funny to watch the women's training whilst we are used to seeing those of men).

The man is a deserter who left the army because he does not know why he 's fighting for :when the war is over , they will let us down,and the society won't care for us (it's not entirely false ,and sometimes soldiers coming home do not get what they deserve :it's not typically English);and for Clyde ,Prudence represents all that he hates the privileged people who make the other fight for their wealth. Not only Prude proves him wrong by joining the army ,but she also delivers a long patriotic eulogy of England ,their culture ;it may be full of clichés,but the actress's voice is so convincing it will win you over. On the other hand ,The priest's intervention is perhaps unwittingly preachy .

An occupied France (and other countries), bombs all over England : through Clive's.realization , "all above us" was meant to comfort and to encourage the people ; in 1942 ,in the darkest hours of the war , they had to know they would meet again some sunny day.

With the entry of England into WW2, upper class Prudence Cathaway (Joan Fontaine) joins the women's auxiliary force, much to the annoyance of her snobbish relatives. Prudence later meets working-class Clive Briggs (Tyrone Power) on a blind date, and the two fall in love, although Clive reveals little about his past, and Prudence can sense something heavy on his mind. Eventually she learns that not only was Clive recognized for bravery during the Dunkirk evacuation, but that he has subsequently gone AWOL. Will Clive change his mind and return to service, or is he destined to be a fugitive?

I don't often warm to Fontaine, but she's good here, sweetly human and beautiful. Power gets to stretch a bit with a darker character, and he's up to the challenge. The supporting players don't have a lot to do, but they're all memorable professionals, and help keep the movie interesting. Two scenes that struck me as especially noteworthy: the initial date between Fontaine and Power is held during a blackout, with very little light, and only the occasional match strike providing fleeting illumination of faces. The other scene is later in the film, as a frantic Power runs through the wrecked streets of a London neighborhood during an air raid. Bombs are falling, fires are burning, a plane even crashes into a nearby apartment house, all with panicked citizens and valiant firemen running to and fro. A very well executed sequence. The movie received Oscar nominations for Best B&W Cinematography, Best Sound, and Best Editing, and it won for Best B&W Art Direction.

Anatole Litvak's engrossing romantic drama, "This Above All," takes place in the early years of World War II, before the United States had entered the war. Like "Mrs. Miniver," the film was intended to boost sympathy and support for England, which was already engaged in a desperate battle with Nazi Germany. Set on a back-lot England with Academy-Award winning sets, the movie has a coziness associated with black-and-white Hollywood studio films of the Golden Era. Prudence Cathaway, a strong-willed young woman from a privileged background, played by 25-year-old Joan Fontaine, joins the WAF, a women's paramilitary group, over family protests. On a blind date one inky black night, she meets Clive Briggs, a moody mysterious man with a dark secret. When she subsequently sees her date in the daylight, he is the impossibly good looking Tyrone Power, and romance inevitably ensues. Despite Brigg's criticism of her own aristocratic background, Fontaine tolerates Power's cynical nature and his ambivalence about fighting to retain the English class system that supports the rich and privileged.

Although breezily entertaining, little occurs during the first half as Fontaine and Power become increasingly involved. The couple flirt, date, and go off for a week's holiday at the seaside, where they encounter some of Briggs's buddies. However, as Briggs's secret unfolds, the film turns darker, and the pro-English propaganda surfaces. Fontaine waxes eloquently about all that England means and why they must fight to preserve the country; meanwhile, Briggs denigrates an economic system that rewards the moneyed aristocracy and oppresses the poor; why should the lower classes fight and die, while the wealthy sip tea and dress for dinner. Veteran actress Gladys Cooper appears to embody the haughty side of undeserved privilege, while Nigel Bruce and Thomas Mitchell ably portray Powers's working class buddies. While the dark-eyed Tyrone Power plays Clive Briggs quite well, Joan Fontaine captures her every scene and turns in a lovely, delicate performance as the rebellious Prudence; her glowing face wordlessly expresses the young woman's growing affection for the handsome Briggs. The Oscar-nominated photography by Arthur C. Miller captures Fontaine's delicate complexion and underplayed expressions and highlights Power at his tall, dark, and handsome best.

Despite a dated message in R. C. Sheriff's screenplay, adapted from a novel by Eric Knight, "This Above All" moves at a brisk pace, and even those averse to romances will be drawn in by Fontaine's radiant performance. If 20th Century Fox wanted to convince American audiences of the importance of supporting a loyal ally against the Nazis, they could have done no better than enlist the aid of Joan Fontaine to do so. She and Power make a romantic pair, and "This Above All" rises above propaganda to be an enduring romantic entertainment.

Tyrone Power is completely deprived of all his Hollywood attributes here, he is shabby and unshaved like a bum, his good looks are purposely disposed of and as much altered as possible to the contrary, his character is doubtful, while Joan Fontaine outshines him all the way and constantly more and more, which makes it impossible not to burst out into tears when she does.

It's a chapter out of the most critical point of the war after Dunkirk at the beginning of the long nightmare blitz of London, and all the bombing scenes couldn't have been made more real and convincing. Tyrone is a veteran from Dunkirk, almost decorated, bitterly disillusioned about the war and its glory and finds no meaning in any aspect of the struggle, while Joan in bursts of impressing honesty gives him second thoughts. But there is much more to it than their epitomized romance.

Perhaps the most important ingredient is the other characters. Thomas Mitchell actually saves the show, Alexander Knox is the only one who immediately and thoroughly understands Tyrone's predicament of conscience, Gladys Cooper is gloriously superior as always, Nigel Bruce adds some vital Dickensian comedy, Philip Merivale as the doctor is another vital contribution, and there are others, some not even mentioned. On the whole, it's a perfect masterpiece of film pinpointing the very eye of the storm of the second world war.

If you only think of Tyrone Power as a swashbuckling hero, you need to rent This Above All. I'd seen all of the wrong movies of his first, like Untamed, Alexander's Ragtime Band, and In Old Chicago, so I thought he was merely a nice-looking actor who wasn't very talented and always played jerks. If you're on the same page that I was, check out The Sun Also Rises, The Long Gray Line, and This Above All. Those three movies will make a Ty fan out of you.

Joan Fontaine plays a wealthy English woman who, disgusted with her family's aloof attitude about the war-in an impassioned monologue, she declares Gladys Cooper to be worse than the Nazis-joins the WAAFs. She's very excited to do her part for the war effort, and this part of the plot is riveting enough, but when she goes on a blind date and spends the evening with a moody, irritable man hidden in the shadows, the plot heats up. Her date is Tyrone Power, and once she sees his beautiful face and his perfectly adorable nose, she's anxious to see him again. As they date, it's clear he's hiding something. If you look up the movie online, you'll find out what his secret is, but I won't spoil it for you in case you want the movie to unfold by itself.

Handsomeness and romance aside, because you can see those in other Tyrone Power movies, Ty gives an excellent layered performance. There's so much turmoil written on his face, long before you find out what his secret is, and his interactions with his well-intentioned friend Thomas Mitchell and a neutral priest Alexander Knox show a simmering temper he never usually shows in his movies. Tyrone Power was never nominated for an Academy Award, and Hot Toasty Rag was proud to give him a nomination for his performance in this emotional drama. In the supporting cast, you can catch glimpses of Henry Stephenson, Sara Allgood, Miles Mander, and Nigel Bruce.