Cavalcade. 1933. USA. Directed by Frank Lloyd. Screenplay by Reginald Berkeley, based on the play by Noël Coward. With Clive Brook, Irene Brown, Frank Lawton. 35mm. 112 min.
“Before the film Cavalcade was begun, the producers sent technicians to England to record the play as it was produced in London. An entire performance, complete with curtains and applause, was photographed with sound in the theatre. This film of the actual stage production was used as a check while the film proper was being made. This explains why Cavalcade, except for the battlefield sequence, sticks so faithfully to theatrical form. It is in reality a reproduction of the play rather than an independent or an original motion-picture.” Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive