The Fight for Life (1940)
The Fight for Life was documentary filmmaker Pare Lorentz' first "dramatic" film, utilizing the talents of several top New York stage actors. A tribute to the Chicago Maternity Center and its efforts to provide the best possible care for destitute mothers, the film is based on the book of the same name by Paul de Kruif. Myron McCormick plays the largest role as a dedicated intern, while others in the cast include such theatrical heavywrights as Will Geer, Dudley Digges and Dorothy Adams. The film's many vignettes range from the tragic (a mother dying in childbirth in the opening scene) to the exultant (another mother rescued from the brink of death in a disease-ridden tenement). Filmed in Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, Fight for Life is a worthwhile effort, though Lorentz seems more comfortable with the "actuality" scenes than with the dramatized passages.
| Movie ID | 39604 |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Director | Pare Lorentz |
| Main cast | Myron McCormick, Storrs Haynes, Will Geer, Dudley Digges, Dorothy Adams, Dorothy Urban, Effie Anderson, Woody Guthrie |
| Release date | 7 March 1940 |
| Release year | 1940 |
| Language | English |
| Duration | 69 min (1h 9m) |
| Rating | 6.5 / 10 (TMDB) |
| Production house | – |
Director: Pare Lorentz
Writers: Pare Lorentz
Top cast
Myron McCormickDr. O’Donnell
Storrs HaynesHanson
Will GeerBallou
Dudley DiggesChefarzt
Dorothy AdamsThe Young Woman
Dorothy UrbanThe Grandmother
Effie AndersonThe Receptionist
Woody GuthrieCitizen (uncredited)
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