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The Fight for Life (1940) [N/A]

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Release Date:
March 7, 1940

Original Title:
The Fight for Life

Genres:
Drama | History

Ratings / Certifications:
 N/A

Runtime: 69

Overview from TheMovieDB

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.

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Performers

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Production

Assistant Camera:
William H. Clothier

Associate Producer:
Tommy Atkins
Elizabeth Meyer

Cinematography:
Floyd Crosby

Conductor:
Alexander Smallens

Director:
Pare Lorentz

Music:
Louis Gruenberg

Original Music Composer:
Louis Gruenberg

Original Story:
Paul De Kruif

Producer:
Pare Lorentz

Screenplay:
Pare Lorentz

Technical Advisor:
King Vidor

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