We Live Again (AKA “Resurrection”)
Directed by Rouben Mamoulian
1934/USA
The Samuel Goldwyn Company
First viewing
Every man and every living creature has a sacred right to the gladness of springtime.” ― Leo Tolstoy, Resurrection
The story is based on the novel Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy. A noble household is quite attached to its servant girl Katusha (Anna Sten); the son, Prince Dmitri (Fredric March), and the girl grew up together. One summer, the callow, idealistic Dmitri comes home from military training full of ideas about equality of the classes and falls chastely in love with Katusha. But when he returns to the army Dmitri is quickly swept up in its decadent lifestyle and forgets about his ideals. When he comes home again, he seduces and abandons Katusha who ends up pregnant, disgraced, and discharged from her position. Years later, Dmitri sees Katusha again when she is on trial for murder, having previously descended into a life of prostitution. He realizes the great wrong he has done and attempts to make amends. With Joan Baxter as Dmitri’s fiance; C. Aubrey Smith as her father (did the man have time to sleep in 1934??), and Sam Jaffe as a revolutionary.
First, let me say that this is a really gorgeous film lensed by Gregg Toland and with wonderful authentic 19th Century Russian sets. There is a glorious scene of Russian Orthodox Easter in a church. I have never seen Anna Sten before and she is very beautiful and appealing in the love scenes. She overdoes it a bit after her fall but not too badly. Frederic March is good as always.
Something happened to this film between the first act and the second act. The early love scenes took their time and were a pleasure to watch. The later scenes were good too but seemed rushed or something – like this was clumsily edited for time.
