A Farewell To Arms (1932)

An American ambulance driver in Italy falls in love with an English Red Cross nurse while recovering from wounds suffered during an enemy attack. The two lovers are separated and reunited again and again amidst the horrors of war until the fateful ending - one of the most moving sequences ever committed to film.

Considered by some to be the crowning achievement of the pre-Code, studio era, A Farewell to Arms is directed by the legendary Frank Borzage, already an Oscar winner for his films 7th Heaven (1927) and Bad Girl (1931). It further solidified the star power of Gary Cooper, who had made his breakout performance three years earlier in The Virginian (1929). Co-star Helen Hayes was a New York theatre star and an Oscar winner for The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931). Charles Lang's dreamlike cinematography, which gives the film its almost fairy tale quality, won an Academy Award, in addition to a further win for Best Sound Recording and nominations for Best Picture and Best Art Direction. A Farewell to Arms is an unforgettable masterpiece with a timeless message that reverberates throughout the ages.

• drama