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It's the turn of the century, New Year's Eve of 1899. Wealthy London couple Robert and Jane Marryot (Clive Brook, Diana Wynyard) are ready to ring in the 20th century with their house servants and friends Alfred and Ellen Bridges (Herbert Mundin, Una O'Connor). The Marryot children wake up, wanting to see the new year happen as well. Everyone toasts, knowing that not only does a new year/century loom, but so does the ongoing Boer War. Alfred and Robert are leaving on January 1 to fight in South Africa. When they ship off the next day, Robert promises his kids that he "...will cut Kruger into pieces" as they request him to. Jane and Ellen are upset, of course, but do their best to stay strong. The boat trip for the Navy is 16 days to South Africa, and the girls await daily word of progress.
The Marryot boys play war games at home with little Edith Harris (Sheila MacGill), the daughter of Jane's friend Margaret (Irene Browne). As the days pass and no news is delivered about their men, Margaret decides to take Jane to a play to cheer her up. As it turns out, the play has a solemn theme that only upsets Jane more, but just before the finale, the show is interrupted by an announcement that the South African town of Mafeking, where the men are fighting, has been won. Everyone in the theater celebrates.
The men return, and Alfred announces to his family that he's purchased a pub. This will enable his mother-in-law to live with him, Ellen and their young daughter Fanny (Bonita Granville). As the Bridges and Marryots celebrate and reunite, news is yelled through the streets and in the latest newspapers that Queen Victoria is seriously ill, which dampens everyone's mood. The Queen does pass away and everyone in London lines the streets for the funeral procession. However, one of the first duties performed by the new rulers is that of knighting Robert for his war record.
We fast forward to 1908. The Marryot sons have grown older. Edward (John Warburton) is now a student at Oxford University. He visits Ellen and the now-older Fanny (Ursula Jeans). Alfred is tending his bar but as he has done so over the years, has turned into a raging alcoholic, much to Ellen's dismay. Alfred is supposed to close up and come home to see Edward, but on his way home he stops for a drink elsewhere with friends. That, of course, leads to many drinks, and Alfred later comes home stumbling drunk. After calling Jane a snob and throwing a gift of Fanny's, Fanny decides to go outside and celebrate in the streets with everyone else. What they're celebrating, I have no idea. Alfred runs out to retrieve her, but he is run over by a fire vehicle (I guess it's a vehicle...it was a horse-drawn carriage going very fast with a siren on it) and killed. Fanny has no idea this has happened and continues to celebrate while Ellen and other passers-by scream in horror at what has happened.
It's now 1909. Edward and Edith are both grown-up and now very much in love. Fanny, meanwhile, is turning into a very talented dancer, and she wins a competition at the beach. And...erm...well, that's about it for 1909, so let's go ahead to...
...1912. Edward and Edith have gotten married and are now off on their honeymoon, cruising the Atlantic. Edith is a bit nervous about their future, but both are excited and thankful for this moment of happiness. The two walk away from where they stood and we see a lifebuoy with the name of the boat on it. Yup, you guessed it, the R.M.S. Titanic. And...erm...well, that's about it for 1912, so let's go ahead to...
...1914. For the record, I'm really not zipping through these years on purpose, this is pretty much exactly how it plays out in the film. There's some other stuff going on, but not much of it, and what does exist really doesn't mean anything to the overall story. The younger of the two Marryot boys, Joey (Frank Lawton), is off to fight in what later becomes known as World War I. Jane is upset. Before heading off to France, Joey hits a club and recognizes Fanny as one of the performers. He surprises her in her dressing room later. At first she doesn't recognize him, but upon being given some clues she eventually does, and both are thrilled to reunite.
World War I then goes on for the next few minutes, with lots of war footage, stock or otherwise. I don't know. It's cool, I guess. The musical score is all dramatic. Lots of things go boom.
And now it's 1918. Joey is on leave and he visits Fanny, who is starring in a musical comedy and has become a renowned starlet. Joey wants to marry her, and Fanny admits she does love him, but she can't marry him because she isn't sure Jane would approve of the union. Fanny asks Joey to wait until he's back from the war for them to take the next step.
The day of the armistice, Ellen visits Jane. She's learned of the Joey/Fanny affair through Joey's letters, and she insists that the two marry. Jane is stunned by both the news and Ellen's statement, and refuses to get involved with Joey's affairs. And just as that happens, a telegram arrives for Jane that lets her know that Joey has been killed in the war. Jane faints. The war ends. People celebrate in the streets.
More years pass. Headlines fly on and off the screen. Basically, the world's going to Hell and everything sucks. So let's go to New Year's Eve 1933! Robert and Jane are now an elderly couple. They toast the future. Robert remains optimistic. Jane remains reserved, but she does acknowledge their life has been a tremendous adventure. They walk out onto their balcony and kiss one another as the new year arrives.
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You know how the joke always was about the show Seinfeld that it was a show about nothing? Things happened, but there really wasn't a plot? That's kind of how I felt after watching Cavalcade. Things happened, but I really never felt like I was along for the proverbial ride. I just felt like I was watching things happen, like I would be sitting outside with a drink watching life go by. There's a lot going on in this film, perhaps too much too fast. I don't know. It was popular back in 1933, because it did very well at the box office and it garnered 3 Oscar wins out of 4 nominations. Wynyard lost out Best Actress to Katherine Hepburn for Morning Glory, but the film did score wins for Best Art Direction (William S. Darling), Best Director (Frank Lloyd) and Best Picture, winning out over 42nd Street, A Farewell to Arms, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, Lady For a Day, Little Women, The Private Life of Henry VIII, She Done Him Wrong, Smilin' Through and State Fair. This 6th Annual Academy Awards ceremony was the last one to cover a period of time over two calendar years, as beginning with the 7th ceremony, films released from January 1 to December 31 in each year were eligible for the following year's awards.
Cavalcade has the odd distinction of being the last Best Picture winner to be released individually on DVD or Blu-Ray. For whatever reason, it wasn't until August 6, 2013 when this happened, and even then it was a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack as opposed to just one or the other. A few years earlier, a DVD release did occur but only within a 75th Anniversary 20th Century Fox DVD box set that retailed for hundreds of dollars. To this day, however, the only way to own a DVD copy of the film is through the box set or by buying the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack.
So in closing? I just don't think Cavalcade holds up today. It's fine and all, but I don't get any goosebumps from it. It just seems kinda "there" to me. Still, one could find worse ways to pass 110 minutes.
[NOTE: There is apparently no existing trailer for the film available publicly.]
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