A "Romeo and Juliet" story set against the backdrop of the Irish War of Independence in 1921, this is a hugely enjoyable romantic historical drama. Saying that the history of Anglo-Irish relations is contentious and often violent is a bit like saying that the Sun is hot but the film romanticises it in the wonderfully entertaining way that only 1930s Hollywood could. The film is well directed by H.C. Potter. The very strong script by John Balderston, Rose Franken and William Brown Meloney paints the war, which has never exactly been a particularly popular subject for the silver screen outside of the generally lacklustre Irish film industry, in broad strokes. That said, the depiction of the conflict is not overly simplistic as neither side is presented in black and white terms. As someone who knows a great deal about the Irish history of this period but is not terribly nationalistic about it, I appreciated that. Watching films about 1920s Ireland is a bit of a departure for me as my PhD concerns the period, albeit the drafting of statute post-1922 as opposed to the War of Independence, and I generally try not to think about my work while I am relaxing but I was prepared to make an exception in this case.The film stars the underrated Brian Aherne in an excellent performance as Dennis Riordan, a prominent Irish revolutionary and minister in the government of the unofficial and unrecognised Irish Republic. Riordan is essentially a nicer and more honourable version of Michael Collins. Like Collins, he is one of the leaders of the IRA - which is now called the Old IRA to distinguish it from its later incarnations - and a senior member of the Irish delegation sent over to London to negotiate the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. I was not surprised that, with the exception of a photograph of Padraig Pearse, none of the actual Irish revolutionaries of the 1916-22 period were alluded to or mentioned by name in the film. In fact, I would have been shocked if they had been since many of the surviving ones were ministers in the then Irish government or had been ministers in the previous one. Riordan loves Ireland with a passion and is certainly prepared to fight for his country's freedom but he harbours an old dream of retiring to a little farm in Galway where he can forget about the conflict and live a normal life. When it comes to the controversial provisions of the Treaty, he is conflicted between his oath that he will do everything possible to secure a republic and his desire for peace after almost three years of warfare. While most of the Irish characters in the film are played by Irish actors, Aherne is the major exception as he was English, though he was of Irish descent as his name would suggest. His Irish accent is pretty variable, sometimes sounding more Scottish, but the strength of his performance means that it was surprisingly easy for me to overlook that.Merle Oberon is great as his beloved enemy Helen Drummond, the daughter of the prominent British diplomat Lord Athleigh. At the beginning of the film, the British forces are unaware of what Riordan looks like and, after he is briefly arrested, he decides to have a little bit of fun with them by claiming to be Dennis Riordan, knowing that they will not believe. After running into each other again, Riordan and Helen spend the day together in the countryside and, as often happens in such films, fall madly in love in a flash. After Helen learns that the medical student Tom Casey is in fact Riordan, she alerts her father and the authorities in the Viceregal Lodge (now the President of Ireland's official residence Áras an Uachtaráin) and they unsuccessfully attempt to arrest him at a cattle market. Helen soon comes to regret her decision and goes to Riordan to apologise, telling him that she loves him. Aherne and Oberon have great chemistry and their scenes together are very romantic and occasionally moving, even if they are in no way realistic. While much is made of Riordan and Helen's different nationalities, this is no mention of the fact that he is almost certainly a Catholic and she is almost certainly a Protestant, which would have been a very pressing issue under the circumstances. Riordan's fellow Irish revolutionaries believe that his love affair with an English aristocrat is clouding his judgement and make him swear an oath that he will never see her again, at least in private. When Riordan - who holds the casting vote - decides to sign the Treaty, the more radical republicans in the movement believe that it is because of Helen's influence and attempt to assassinate him. However, the fictional Riordan fared better than the real Collins as he survives the attempt. In one of his first major roles, David Niven is very good as the charming Captain Gerald Preston. His feelings for Helen are not returned but he accepts the consistent rejection with grace and charm. It's a good thing that Niven wasn't cast as Riordan as he is so quintessentially English that I could never buy him as a Michael Collins stand-in! Henry Stephenson, the poor man's C. Aubrey Smith, is dull and forgettable as Lord Athleigh. The effortlessly fantastic character actor Donald Crisp is very good as Liam Burke, the most radical of the radicals. In contrast to Riordan, Burke is not based on any senior Irish revolutionary in particular but he has traces of Eamon de Valera and Cathal Brugha. He'd have been better as Lord Athleigh as well, come to think of it. Overall, this is a very entertaining film. It is far from an entirely accurate depiction of Ireland in 1921 but it was never supposed to be anything of the sort.

Don't expect the true story of what was going on in Dublin and most of Ireland during the early 1920's; That has been sanitized out as to not "offend" the movie viewers over there. What is present is an acceptable love story with some of the political intrigue intact, but it is basic background to the typical romantic struggles of total opposites whose love affair seems to be doomed from the start.Brian Donlevy plays a fictional character, possibly a composite of various Irish rebels who eluded the police and military and stirred up enough trouble to keep this rebellion going on for decades. When Merle Oberon arrives with her British ambassador father (Henry Stephenson) in Dublin, she accidentally encounters Donlevy and after some initial unpleasantness from him because of her station in life, they can't help but admit that they are attracted to each other. She is trapped inside his hide-out during a raid and after being taken back to London, convinces her father to set up a meeting with the leaders of the rebellion. Members of Donlevy's team (particularly Donald Crisp and Jerome Cowan) are against a "treaty", and this leads to Donlevy accused of being a traitor.While female roles in movies like this are usually meant to be merely "window dressing", Oberon adds some spark into her character which makes her much more interesting. She tosses out enough of her own ideals about the rebellion, and this makes her more compelling as a part of a serious plot. This is where the film succeeds as its structure isn't about the actual rebellion or the reasons behind it, but cause and effect and looming tragedy when one member of a rebel team seems to be drifting away from his priorities. Solid acting, outstanding production design and sparking direction by H.C. Potter makes up for the lack of fact that was already covered in plays and films like "Juno and the Paycock" and "The Informer".In order to enjoy this film it helps to know a little something about this period of history, something which has recurred between Ireland and "the mother country" a lot over the future decades. On the level of a doomed love story, it works best, with Oberon and Aherne a gorgeous pair whom you root for up to the moving finale.

Leave it to Sam Goldlwyn (and associates) to turn the Troubles of 1920 into a typical Hollywood melodrama and soapy love story. This is truly a curiosity, right up there with John Howard Lawson's BLOCKADE—the one about the Spanish Civil War. Whenever Hollywood touched controversial political subjects like this one there was always a chance that one side or other of the box-office might be offended. Therefore, we are never quite certain what the Irish want, other than Brian Aherne wanting Merle Oberon (and who can blame him), but somehow the message is clear that if an Irish rebel Romeo and an English lady Juliet had managed to wiggle themselves into a peace conference things might have worked out better for both sides. This is a lavish production, lit glamorously by the great Greg Toland with lots of moody sets build on the Goldwyn Formosa Street lot, and the usual collection of expatriated English and Irish character actors. The great Irish actor and Abbey Theater member, Dennis O'Dea, has a small part as one of the rebels. He was later to seen in a similar role in ODD MAN OUT. All-American Jerome Cowan, best remembered as a wise-cracking best friend or reporter, makes his screen appearance here wearing a cap cocked on his head as he uses an odd Irish accent.

I admit it. I gave this film a 10 for purely subjective reasons. I love the sound, the look and the emotional content of the two stars. Brian Aherne was so very beautiful that he is quite literally stunning. Merle Oberon was never lovelier. The sound, the dialog, the vocabulary. Wow. They had faces and voices then and they had grace. If one compares the sheer heart of these performances, these scripts with the current crop, one could weep. A profound thank you for this film, even with the fictionalized ending. Lovely. Truly memorable in every meaning of that word even if the 10 is a bit of an exaggeration, it is only a very slight one. Lovely.