Arise, My Love is based on the true story of Harold Edward Dahl. During the Spanish Civil War Dahl, who was fighting as a pilot for the Spanish Republican Air Force, was shot down and taken as prisoner of war. Initially sentenced to death, there were some diplomatic movements to free Dahl. His first wife, Edith Rogers, a known singer of impressive beauty, was said to have visited Francisco Franco herself to plead for his life. He remained in prison until 1940 and then returned to the United States.[5]
Plot
American pilot Tom Martin (Ray Milland) is a soldier of fortune who went to Spain to fight in the Spanish Civil War. During the summer of 1939, he is languishing in a prison cell while awaiting execution. Unexpectedly granted a pardon on the morning that he is to face a firing squad, Tom's release has been managed by reporter Augusta "Gusto" Nash (Claudette Colbert), who posed as his wife. When the prison governor learns of the deception, the pair has to run for their lives.
Ending up in Paris, Tom tries, without success, to woo Gusto. When she is sent to Berlin as a correspondent, Tom pursues her with both of them again on the run as Hitler invades Poland. Booking passage on the ill-fated SS Athenia, the ship is torpedoed by a German submarine. After their rescue, Tom joins the RAF while Gusto remains in France as a war correspondent. At the fall of Paris, Tom is reunited with Gusto, and both decide to return home to convince Americans that a real danger awaits.
A Stinson A trimotor was flown by Paul Mantz in Arise, My Love .
Filming for Arise, My Love began on June 24, 1940, on the Paramount lot and lasted until mid-August 1940, with the script continuously updated to incorporate actual events, such as the sinking of the SS Athenia and the signing of the armistice between France and Germany in the Forest of Compiègne.[6] The character of Augusta Nash was reputedly based on that of Martha Gellhorn.[7] "Dream Lover", composed by Victor Schertzinger, lyrics by Clifford Grey, was sung and hummed by Claudette Colbert. The song was originally introduced in The Love Parade (1929).
Bosley Crowther, film reviewer for The New York Times considered Arise, My Love a cynical way to exploit the war in Europe: "it is simply a synthetic picture which attempts to give consequence to a pleasant April-in-Paris romance by involving it in the realities of war—but a war which is patently conceived by some one who has been reading headlines in California. Miss Colbert and Mr. Milland are very charming when tête-a-tête. But, with Europe going up in flames around them, they are, paradoxically, not so hot. Same goes for the film."[9]
Adaptations
Arise, My Love was adapted as a radio play on the June 8, 1942, episode of Lux Radio Theater with Milland joined by Loretta Young. It was also presented on the June 1, 1946, episode of Academy Award Theater, with Milland reprising his role.[6]
Dick, Bernard F. Claudette Colbert: She Walked in Beauty. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 2008, ISBN978-1-60473-087-6.
Farmer, James H. Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 1984. ISBN978-0-83062-374-7.
Paris, Michael. From the Wright Brothers to Top Gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1995. ISBN978-0-7190-4074-0.
