Where to watch · United States

Not on any service here yet.

The Fight for Life (1940)

Directed by Pare Lorentz

Drama · 1h 09m

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.

Rate it first

No account needed. Others' takes stay sealed until you rate.

?/10

Cast

Myron McCormick Dr. O’Donnell
S
Storrs Haynes Hanson Will Geer Ballou Dudley Digges Chefarzt Dorothy Adams The Young Woman
D
Dorothy Urban The Grandmother
E
Effie Anderson The Receptionist Woody Guthrie Citizen (uncredited)

Crew

Director
Pare Lorentz
Screenplay
Pare Lorentz
Original Music Composer
Louis Gruenberg
Producer
Pare Lorentz

Details

Release date
1940-03-07
Runtime
1h 09m
Genres
Drama
Original language
EN
Spoken languages
English