Watch Arise, My Love For Free

Pretty Good

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

"Arise, My Love" is billed as a comedy-romance and drama. But, this film is as much a war story for its time and setting. A blossoming love is the core of the film, around which a myriad of small adventures and escapades coalesce. Indeed, the setting of early wartime Europe provides the basis for the love story. The humor is peppered throughout the film, mostly with its main characters. And like other films of this period – from the early months before to the start of WW II, this movie gives a look at the news media of the day and the American news sources in Europe. Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland are excellent in their roles of Augusta Nash and Tom Martin. "Gusto" Nash gives another side plot view of a woman striving for a professional career above all else. Walter Abel is excellent as the Associated News Agency European chief, Phillips, and adds to much of the humor. Colbert and Milland work well, and have a good chemistry that makes their roles believable as they segue from the humorous to the serious and a deep love. The rest of the supporting cast are fine, but beyond Phillips, few other roles have much substance. This is a film that is heavily weighted with the two leads and leading supporting role of Abel's. The production values and direction are very good in handling a fairly complex script with so many deviations and diversions. The script is mostly very good, but toward the end it skips over a chapter in which Tom is injured while flying against the Germans in Norway. The film has a lot of action, and touches on several historical events, albeit with the fictional characters involved. Nash rescues Martin from a Spanish firing squad in a clever plot. The two commandeer a plane on the ground and flee pursuing fighter planes. Later, they are among the survivors of the British passenger ship, Athenia. A German submarine torpedoed the ship off the Coast of Ireland on Sept. 2, 1939. It was the first hostile action on the seas by Germany, even before the official start of WW II. The scenes filmed of the rescued lifeboats are quite dramatic on the Irish coastline. Tom and Gusto were on the ship after the U.S. government urged Americans to return home following Germany's conquest of France. Deeply in love, the couple plan to marry and contribute to the war effort back home. Instead of flying fighter planes and reporting the war headlines, they will take safer jobs where they can be together in Cleveland. Onboard the Athenia, they toasted farewell to their former selves – fighter pilot Tom Martin, and big name reporter Gusto Nash, and tossed the champagne glasses overboard. Now, on the beach after their rescue, as they decide to stay, Gusto says, "God knew better. He threw us right back at them."This movie premiered on Oct 17, 1940, in America – more than a year before the U.S. would enter World War II. It covers just a short period from after the Spanish Civil War (April 1939) through the fall of France in May of 1940. It's one of the few American films made well before the U.S. entered WW II, and it doesn't hold back on the criticism of Nazi Germany, expressed mostly by Milland's character, Tom Martin. With it's bouncing around from one place and event to another, "Arise, My Love" may lose some viewers. Those who know a little history of the time will find the details more interesting. But, history knowledge or not, most viewers should enjoy this film. It has adventure, humor, romance, and the early stages of war. The title for the film comes from the Bible. Tom tells Gusto that he says this short prayer whenever he takes a plane up. It comes from Song of Solomon, Verse 2:13b: "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."

I loved this film from beginning to end. It made me laugh and it made me cry, and it left me with the feeling that I had watched one of the best screen romances ever. The script was so wonderfully written, the dialogues really sparkled like diamonds and ... Ray Milland was handsomer here than in any other film I have seen him!! He treated Clodette Colbere with a mixture of humor ,tenderness and respect, that was very endearing and touching. At moments, he seemed like an insecure little boy, and I am sure that he was never like that with any other of his co-stars. Needless to say, I loved this aspect of his very much!!! Something else that I found interesting is that the film was made almost simultaneously with the historical events it describes. This adds to its authenticity and gives us a sense of watching history in the making. The mixing of comedy and drama does not annoy me. It is more than realistic and in fact welcome, here. We deal with two very smart and out of the ordinary people, living very unusual lives, taking active parts in what goes on around them, so it is to be expected that they will have an acute sense of humor as well as forceful feelings about the war and about each other. In our lives there is place for both comedy and drama, why it should not be so for a movie, who depicts life? Just to add that the DVD now available, (spanish edition but with English audio)has very good quality of sound and picture, and does justice to this uniquely beautiful film.

Up until 1939 when Warner Brothers took Nazi Germany in "Confessions of a Nazi Spy", Hollywood was very silent about Hitler and the Third Reich. Part of this was because the American public was staunchly neutral towards Germany and the war. In fact, Hitler had been a rather popular guy in America! Another reason films didn't criticize this repressive regime was because Congress had enacted some unconstitutional legislation that prevented Hollywood for taking a stance towards or against any side in the conflict in Europe! However, starting in 1940, the studios finally declared their independence and a wide variety of anti-Nazi films were released--the tide had finally turned though it wouldn't be until almost 1942 that the US finally got pulled into the war. With films like "Storm Warning", "Escape" and "Arise, My Love" were just a few of the 1940 anti-Nazi films.The movie finds Ray Milland in a Spanish prison awaiting execution after his capture by Franco's Nationalist troops. If you don't remember your history classes, these Nationalists were allies with the Germans and they provided assistance during this civil war--as they wanted to try out all their cool new weapons on the Republican soldiers. As Milland is awaiting death, he laments that he wishes he could live long enough to fight the Nazis directly--a distinctly anti-neutrality statement! However, just before he is shot, his wife shows up and is granted a pardon if he just agrees to leave the country. However, Milland is NOT married and Colbert is actually a crazy reporter who is trying to do a good thing AND get a great story! When this is discovered, the two beat a hasty retreat across the border to France.Soon, the couple are hanging out in Paris. Milland is now a bit of a celebrity and Colbert decides to stick by him to get a story--though the story seems over and you wonder what Colbert really wants. Not surprisingly, the two soon fall in love. But, oddly, Colbert fights hard NOT to fall for Milland and only when she shares a train car on the way to a new assignment in Berlin does she finally give in to Milland's advances. Instead of continuing the journey, they take a brief vacation together--during which WWII begins when the Germans invade Poland. Now the couple are unsure what to do next. Should they go back to America and settle down to a life or domesticity or should they stay and do their part to battle the Fascists? When they chose the safer life in America, things don't go as they'd expect as the ship is sunk by a Nazi sub. This ship, the SS Athenia, was actually the first British ship sank in the war. They survive but what's next?! Try seeing the movie yourself to find out what the two lovers decide to do now.This film is among the most romantic films Milland or Colbert made in their very distinguished careers. But, it is unusual in that it also has such a highly serious side to it as well--and you know the romance is fated as well--providing a wistful tone of the film. It comes off very well and the dialog sparkles...and it has a timely political message as well. Extremely well done and enjoyable.

Definitely in my all time top 10. The Milland/Colbert pairing is fantastic, there is wonderful chemistry between the two stars but it is Colbert who as the independent career woman Augusta Nash launched me on my love of 1930's/1940's films and I would recommend this as a fabulous example of what films of that era have to offer a modern audience. The opening sequences set the adventurous and romantic tone of the movie. The scenes in Maxim's and the in the horse drawn carriage on Monmartre are wonderfully romantic as Tom (Milland) plots to overcome Augusta's business only attitude. A fabulous film which gets home the patriotic message needed as WWII commenced without ever overwhelming the wonderful adventurous story.