Let’s just start out by saying that this is a grandiose picture. The film makers pulled out all of the stops with this one and spared no expense. There were literally thousands of actors requiring thousands of costumes. One scene in particular used over 2,500 extras. This was a massive undertaking, the likes of which few had ever equalled in the history of cinema to this point. In this regard, Cavalcade certainly lived up to its name.

I had never seen this film before, and there are a few things that I need to point out about it from a storytelling point of view. In a way Cavalcade was the Forrest Gump of its day. While Forrest Gump followed a dim-witted man through the great events of the mid to late 20th Century, Cavalcade follows a family through the great historical events of the first 33 years of the 20th Century. There isn’t so much as a well-defined 3-act structure in Cavalcade, but the drama in the film is generated through the eyes of Jane Maryott, the matriarch of her family. Through her eyes we see the many tragedies and few triumphs of the early part of that tumultuous century,

The film opens on New Years Eve, 1899. Jane and her husband Robert arrive home just before midnight. They’re greeted by their servants Ellen and Alfred Bridges, who serve as maid and butler to the Marryots. Robert, realizing that you don’t usher in a new century every day, convinces Jane to wake their young sons Edward and Joe. The merriment of the occasion for both families is tempered, however, by the fact that both Robert and Alfred will be leaving soon to fight in the second Boer War. Both men are confident that the war will be short, but their wives don’t share their optimism.

After leaving Robert at port, Jane arrives home to find Edward and Joe playing with toy soldiers with Edith, the daughter of Jane’s friend Margaret. They’re arguing over who should be the Boers until Jane and Margaret tell them to play something else. Both Robert and Alfred come home a couple of years later, and Robert lends Alfred money to open up a pub. At first Alfred is excited to be his own boss, but he soon sinks into alcoholism and a after a couple of years, Ellen doesn’t even want him around when company comes over. One night, in a particularly drunken state, Alfred chases his daughter, Fanny outside and catches up with her to find her dancing with gypsies. While trying to pick a fight with one of them, he’s run over by a fire wagon racing to the scene of a fire.

Meanwhile, Edward has grown up and marries Edith. She’s the perfect foil for him, as he’s grown up in a proper household and has proper manners. Edith grew up in a proper household as well, but is much more of a free spirit. Once they’re married, they’re looking forward to a happy life together and decide to take their honeymoon to America. The problem is that they’re crossing the Atlantic on the Titanic and both die in the wreck.

This seems almost too much for Jane to bear until World War I breaks out. Robert is recommissioned and he tries to convince Joe not to join the war effort, but to think of his mother. It’s not enough to persuade him, however, and he joins the army and sails off to France. After years of war, Joe becomes a grizzled veteran. While home on leave, he sees Fanny performing in a jazz show, and he reintroduces himself to her. She recognizes him, and they fall in love. Joe goes back to the line and sees Robert who tells him that the Armistice will be signed soon. It’s not soon enough, however, as Joe is killed just before the end of the war.

This is just enough to drive Jane nearly mad. Meanwhile it seems like the world around her is going mad as well. The tumult of the 20th Century spirals round and round and the very world itself seems to be careening out of control. We see Fanny in a jazz club singing about having the 20th Century Blues before seeing Jane and Robert, now elderly, celebrating alone on New Years Eve, 1932. They agree that they’ve had their ups and downs, but overall they’ve had good lives and they’re life together has been one grand adventure.

There are a couple of words that come to mind when thinking about his film. The first is depressing and the second is melodramatic. I’ll tackle the second word first. Jane is the main character in Cavalcade and all of the events are seen through her eyes. Tragedy after tragedy befalls her, so you can forgive her character for being somewhat melodramatic. The issue I have is probably more in the direction than anything else, but she constantly turns away from people when talking to them, not unlike character in modern soap operas. Her woe is me attitude becomes somewhat tiresome after a while, and she does nothing to affect what is happening around her. She is merely an observer of the events of the times and she reacts accordingly. This is no way to construct a hero or heroin for your story. Jane might be the most passive main character I’ve ever seen in a film, and it’s hard to root for her or to feel any sympathy or empathy for her at all.

The other word, depressing, is how I feel about the overall tone of the film. That said, it’s important to remember when critiquing any old film, what was going on at the time. This film came out in 1933 and the 20th Century to that point had been one mess after another. The ironic thing is that some of the century’s biggest messes were yet to come. But just like previous winners for Outstanding Picture All Quiet on the Western Front and Wings, World War I was still the seminal moment in history for the makers of this film. The Great Depression was in full swing, but it’s full effects had yet to be felt. World War I was still fresh on everyone’s mind and it heavily influenced the film industry. Having dealt with World War I less then 20 years previous, and now dealing with the Great Depression, it’s easy to see how people, especially artists, could take a pessimistic view of the world, and would have little faith that things would ever get demonstrably better. This film reflects that attitude. It is a pessimistic film that, even when it tries to be optimistic near the end, still leaves the audience with an empty feeling, like the elderly Jane and Robert, reliving another New Years Eve, but without any children or grandchildren to pass their wealth on to. They are alone and there is no future to their family. Much like the rest of the human race, their best days are in the past and they’re left with memories of how things used to be and the tormented thoughts of what might have been. Thematically this is a deep film, but it remains pessimistic and depressing.

Did the Academy get it right?

Certainly a strong case could be made for either 42nd Street or A Farewell to Arms. Historically, both of those films have remained more memorable in the cannon that Cavalcade. Both of those films starred actors and actresses that are more remembered than the actors and actresses of Cavalcade, however Cavalcade did have one thing going for it. Cavalcade was a spectacle. It was a huge film and a huge undertaking, and it was the type of film that the Academy has a history of rewarding. Cavalcade, for right or wrong, was one of the films that started that trend. I don’t know whether it truly deserved the Academy Award, but I will say that for my own taste, I’ll rewatch 42nd Street and A Farewell to Arms over again before I’ll rewatch Cavalcade.