The Hasty Heart 
Directed by Vincent Sherman
Written by Ranald MacDougall from a play by John Patrick
1949/UK
Associated British Picture Corporation (Warner Bros.)
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
Sister Parker: He’s a foundling, his father left his mother before he was born. Do you know what that means?
Yank: He sure is!
This is a warm, sentimental film about solidarity in adversity.
The story takes place just after the end of WWII in Burma. The able-bodied are being shipped home in droves but there remain a group of wounded men in the camp hospital. Cpl. Lachlan ‘Lachie’ MacLachlan (Richard Todd) was wounded in one of the last battles. His injured kidney was removed but his remaining kidney is defective and he does not have long to live. MacLachlan is as Scottish as can be and has a very dour disposition and no friends.
Instead of telling Lachie his prognosis, the commanding officer decides to put him in a ward with five recovering men. He and ward nurse Sister Parker encourage the other patients to try to make Lachie’s last day great.
This does not start out well as Lachie does his best to alienate all the other patients. The one he irritates most is “Yank” (Ronald Regan). But everybody softens eventually.
I enjoyed this movie. It contains one of Patricia Neal’s first screen performances. She is good as always but has not developed her distinctive persona yet. Richard Todd earned a well-deserved Best Actor Oscar Nomination.
