Synopsis:
The year is 1938. The place is Paris, France. An undocumented German physician (Charles Boyer, Algiers) comes to the aid of a penniless woman (Ingrid Bergman, Anastasia) roaming the dark streets of the European city.
Reaction & Thoughts:
“A refugee without a passport has lost his membership in the human race.”
Arch of Triumph is a triumph (no pun intended) of mood and atmosphere. The film presents a bleak vision of pre-World War II Europe, a sort of purgatory on earth. It’s a fascinating movie, featuring striking chiaroscuro images and moments of despair. Unfortunately, the film’s narrative has some structural problems.
Director Lewis Milestone co-wrote the screenplay with Harry Brown (A Place in the Sun), which is based on the 1945 Erich Maria Remarque book of the same name. Milestone had previously found success directing an adaptation of Remarque’s 1929 novel All Quiet on the Western Front. While Arch of Triumph isn’t as compelling as Milestone’s previous Remarque movie, the film definitely packs an emotional wallop.
From the very first scene, Milestone establishes a tone of hopelessness. Arch of Triumph doesn’t have a single moment that’s pure joy. Even the few romantic interludes are filled with high tension and anxiety. Russell Metty’s (Spartacus) extraordinarily moody cinematography and William Cameron Menzies’s (Gone with the Wind) remarkably claustrophobic sets only add to the feeling of doom and gloom.
Although I tend to find ill-fated characters emotionally draining, the superb work by Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman pulled me into the story. I do have to admit that it took me a bit of time getting used to the idea of the very French Boyer as a German refugee (where is Paul Henreid when you need him?). But Boyer is excellent, and so is Bergman. And the actors have, of course, insanely good chemistry.
Additionally, I found the relationship between the German doctor and homeless woman fascinating to say the least. For instance, the characters deal with chaos differently: he is a pragmatist who lives one day at a time, and she is adept at finding security blankets. Their love affair works fine as long as they stay in their respective lanes. It’s only when one decides to cross over to the other side that tragedy ensues.
Bergman’s character hasn’t been fully sketched, though. We are never given a good explanation for her erratic behavior. She is a deeply insecure woman, but where did that insecurity come from? Something is missing here. In lesser hands, the character would have become frustrating and unlikable, but I give Bergman additional points for managing to convey a compelling sense of tragedy that’s hard to ignore.
The subplot regarding Boyer hunting a Nazi war criminal, played by Charles Laughton (Mutiny on the Bounty), didn’t work for me. In my opinion, this subplot throws the film off balance. The secondary story is purposely (and oddly) placed on the outskirts of the main storyline. In my opinion, it’s a major flaw that hurts the movie quite a bit. Laughton has only a handful of scenes, so it is essentially a glorified “cameo.”
Conclusions and Final Thoughts:
Arch of Triumph feels a bit incomplete, despite being over two hours long (I’ve read that the original cut was much longer, which may or may not explain a few holes in the characterizations). Regardless of its imperfections, Arch of Triumph is a gritty movie that has some powerful moments and great performances. Remade in 1984 with Sir Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) and Lesley-Anne Down (The Great Train Robbery). B&W, 133 minutes, Not Rated.
This is my contribution to the 5th Wonderful Ingrid Bergman Blogathon, hosted by The Wonderful of Cinema.
You know, each year when someone reviews this film for the blogathon I tell them that I need to see it and I still haven’t, so I’m a bit ashamed to be honnest lol. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading your relevant analysis of it. From what I understood, it’s a film that particularly focuses on the mood/atmosphere, which can be interesting. Thank you so much for this excellent contribution to the blogathon!
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Make sure you are in a good mood because it’s a depressing movie. If you love Bergman, you don’t want to miss her deeply-felt performance.
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You make this film sound fascinating. As fans of both actors, it is definitely something I have to see. I will place it in the category of films that come to a person when they are meant to be seen.
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I’m sure you’ll like it: Boyer and Bergman always make a compelling screen couple.
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You have a super flare for finding all these incredible sounding films EB.
So many titles I’ve never heard of. Added straight to the to-watch list.
I do like lesser known WW2 films and this one sounds like it adds something a bit different.
The remake has a great cast too, the rating doesn’t look to good though.
Great movie review buddy.
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Thank you! Just make sure you don’t watch Arch of Triumph while feeling down — this is a super-downbeat movie!
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Haha I like to look at it as only watch when you just feeling way too gawd darn happy and need to bring it down a level or two. Lol
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I can totally see Ingrid Bergman in a noir. This looks like one to check out, even if it is a wee bit depressing.
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Bergman was born to wear a trench-coat! 😉
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She was! It was a beautiful friendship. 🙂
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