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    The Fight for Life

    69'

    1940-03-07

    6.5

    Drama

    Overview:

    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.

    DirectingPare LorentzWritingPare Lorentz

    Cast

    1

    Dr. O’Donnell

    Myron McCormick

    1

    Hanson

    Storrs Haynes

    2

    Ballou

    Will Geer

    1

    Chefarzt

    Dudley Digges

    1

    The Young Woman

    Dorothy Adams

    1

    The Grandmother

    Dorothy Urban

    1

    The Receptionist

    Effie Anderson

    1

    Citizen (uncredited)

    Woody Guthrie

    Details:

    • Budget: 0
    • Home page
    • Revenue: 0
    • List of countries:
      1. List of languages:
        1. English
      2. List of companies:
        1. Vote Count: 4
        2. Popularity: 0.4866
        3. Status: Released
        4. Original title:The Fight for Life

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