Classic Film Guide

General Died at Dawn, The (1936)

If not for all the grandstanding speeches contained within its dialogue, this adventure drama might have been better. As it is, it's notable for earning Akim Tamiroff his first of two unrewarded Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nominations. Cinematographer Victor Milner (Cleopatra (1934)) also picked up an Oscar nomination as did the film's Score. Directed by Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)), this Charles Booth (The House on 92nd Street (1945)) story features a screenplay by Clifford Odets. Director Milestone and screenwriter Odets also appear in their film, uncredited.

It stars Gary Cooper as O'Hara, an American mercenary working against the oppressive reign of General Yang (Tamiroff) in China. His mission is to deliver money, freely given by the poor of that country, to an arms dealer, for their own future protection etc.. But O'Hara's loneliness is used against him by Judy Perrie (Madeleine Carroll), a femme fatale-type character who's attraction to O'Hara gives her a guilty feeling, but it's not enough to overcome her loyalty to her weak, dying, scheming, greedy father Peter (Porter Hall), who's working for Yang, and himself. Judy gets O'Hara on a train that's later stopped by Yang's troops (let the bravura speeches begin). Dudley Digges plays Mr. Wu, the Chinaman that O'Hara is working for, and J.M. Kerrigan plays Leach, an appropriately named opportunist who worms his way into the intrigue. William Frawley plays Brighton, the arms dealer both parties want to do business with; Philip Ahn & Lee Tung Foo play others who work for Wu, and Willie Fung plays a laughing local bartender. The climactic ending of the film would be too much to believe if not for the fanaticism that the world witnessed on (& since) 9/11.

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