TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Martin Bradley It was remade as a vehicle for Martin & Lewis and turned into a Broadway musical but William Wellman's original was a gold-plated joy from start to finish. I suppose you could call "Nothing Sacred" a satire on sensationalism in the newspaper business or maybe just one of the funniest movies ever made, (the writer was Ben Hecht working at the top of his game). It's the one about the girl dying of radium poisioning who then discovers she isn't but keeps the pretence up anyway, (yes, it's a comedy perhaps not in the best of taste), and it has great performances from Carole Lombard, Fredric March, Charles Winninger and Walter Connolly, magnificent as the gruff editor of the newspaper March works for. Indeed the only fault I can find with the film is the decision to shoot it in colour, however pretty it might look.

Antonius Block It's nice to see Frederic March and Carole Lombard in color, especially since this was the only color film she ever made. The premise is pretty silly, that so much would be made out of this 'dying' woman in the press and all over New York that shows would be stopped in her presence, she would be given the key to the city, etc., but it's a screwball comedy, so you just have to roll with it. The film had its moments, such as the treatment March faces in Vermont, with its taciturn adults, and a child who scampers out from behind a fence to bite him on the leg. However, it's pretty uneven in terms of humor, with a lot of run of the mill content, and several groaners. You'll also have to forgive some racial stereotypes, and March working Lombard up into a fever by boxing with her, and then knocking her out in one of the film's big scenes. Those bits are in keeping with the time period and not too ugly though, and it was nice to see Lombard give as good as she got. The production value for the film was high, as despite the weakness of the early technicolor process, it had a nice score, and many fantastic shots around New York.My favorite moment in the film is when March proposes to Lombard, despite thinking she has only a few weeks to live. In a film with a lot of screwball moments and one-liners, it had this little gem: "Oh Wally, I... I mustn't. Don't ask me. Please, just kiss me once more and let it go at that without ruining your life." "So what the devil is there better to life than we've got? A handful of perfect hours. That's all the luckiest ever get out of it. Just a handful of hours to save and remember. And then... I'll be there at the end, sailor. I'll be there waving you goodbye. It'll be the same as if you and I had lived forever. And you'll... you'll grow old in my heart."

Tweekums Reporter Wallace Cook has been demoted to writing obituaries after being taken in by a charlatan who went on to humiliate his boss when he was exposed. Hoping to return to 'proper' reporting he manages to persuade his boss to let him write a piece about a Vermont girl, Hazel Flagg, who is dying of radium poisoning. He heads to Vermont to find her but just before they meet she learns that the doctor has made a mistake… one would expect her to be happy but the company she worked for had offered her a trip to see the sights of New York before she died and she was desperate to get out of her small town.When Wallace tells her that his paper wants to take her to New York and give her the best visit ever she doesn't hesitate to accept; surely it won't matter if she is 'dying' for a bit longer. Wallace takes her, along with her doctor, to New York and soon she is having a great time and everybody wants to be seen with this 'brave dying girl'. Wallace points out that half the people they see are phoneys which of course makes her feel guilty but she can't think of a way out of her lie. Of course she will eventually be found out but by then Wallace has fallen for her and others feel it would be embarrassing for themselves if the truth comes out.Given that this film is eighty years old it remains surprisingly fresh; the idea of having somebody perpetuating a lie to achieve fame and have a good time it timeless but seems especially believable in this celebrity obsessed time. The story is told in a way that is just about plausible and provides plenty of laughs. Fredric March did a good job as Wallace but it is Carole Lombard who dominates the film as Hazel; she makes her the most likable character despite the fact that we know she is a fraud… at least she acknowledges this to herself unlike many other characters. The supporting cast is pretty solid as well. While this is obviously a comedy there is some drama too as the question of what will ultimately happen to Hazel is raised… what does happen, not surprisingly, suits the light tone of the film. Overall I'd recommend this to anybody who enjoys older films or who wants a gentle comedy with no offensive material.

t-murphy-94619 Nothing Sacred isn't just boring, its aggravating to watch. None of the characters are endearing. I don't mean likable because there can be unlikable yet endearing characters. Characters the movie makes you hate but still want to root for them. Nothing Sacred does not do that. Fredric March is supposedly the best reporter in the city who makes one career ruining mistake. Then in an attempt to redeem himself he then immediately makes the exact same mistake. He rushes into another feel good story without doing any research. Hazel Flagg is meant to be seen as a pitiable girl in over her head but acts like a spoiled child. Dr. Enoch Downer can't make up his mind between being a reluctant participant or complete imbecile. And the movie's message is that newspapers always lie to get a story and readers are foolish and selfish to latch onto sob stories. The worst part of it all is that this screwball comedy just isn't funny. Site gags and clever wit are very rarely seen and even more rarely successful. The final joke of the movie is the doctor waking up and thinking the hotel he is in has sunk underwater because he hasn't realized he's on a boat. That joke belongs in a Looney tunes cartoon. Although hats off to Nothing Sacred for being the first color comedy.