Greatest Film Scenes
and Moments



A Farewell to Arms (1932)

 



Written by Tim Dirks

Title Screen
Movie Title/Year and Scene Descriptions
Screenshots

A Farewell to Arms (1932)

In director Frank Borzage's romantic war melodrama:

  • the doomed romance of World War I officer and ambulance driver Lt. Frederic Henry (Gary Cooper) and British nurse Catherine Barkley (Helen Hayes), who fell in love and produced a love child (while he was wounded and under her care in Milan) - with an impressive subjective camera close-up shot of her kissing him when he first arrived in the hospital
  • later, correspondence to the front (the news of the child) was circumvented by Henry's jealous friend Major Rinaldi (Adolphe Menjou) - leading to the film's dramatic conclusion in which Catherine died in her hospital bed in a maternity ward in Switzerland after her baby died -- with Frederic by her side
  • her tearjerking death occurred in his arms as he professed his undying love and she told him she wasn't afraid - the moment of her passing coincided with the declaration of the Armistice
Tearjerking Death of Catherine - With Frederic
  • after her death, he carried her in his arms to the window and affirmed: "Peace, peace" - as white doves flew into the air and the screen faded to black


Beginning of Doomed Romance

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