User reviews

I use this film to discuss nursing history. It is pre-antibiotics, so there has to be good nursing care and sterile technique for folks to survive. Plus this movie has it all - terribly sick children, a hokey doctor-nurse romance, and several dramatic scenes you don't get these days, like a bus wreck! The scene in the operating room is pretty interesting too - it makes one realize that an appendectomy was once a life threatening procedure. Overall, it is always fun to have students watch it and learn from growth of the profession and the science. It is so sad that Carole Lombard died so young - she had the potential to be a magnificent dramatic actress. Peg Farrar

It is indeed surprising to see Carol Lombard in a serious dramatic role, and it shows us the range of her talents. We thus mourn her early demise all the more deeply.

Maltin is correct in that good acting and direction here save a potentially sentimental script from descending into bathos. In fact, the explosively dramatic start undergirds the whole story and gives it an impetus that keeps us involved throughout. The movie wears its age well, and is well worth seeing.

Carole Lombard apparently took some advice from husband Clark Gable about Vigil In the Night. Just as Gable never even attempted a British accent in Mutiny On the Bounty, Lombard eschewed an accent as did Anne Shirley in Vigil In the Night. The rest of the cast is from Hollywood's British colony in this adaption of an A.J. Cronin novel.

Just as that other Cronin work The Citadel is dedicated to the doctors, this one is a shout out to the under-appreciated nurses. Lombard and her sister Shirley are nurses, Lombard a veteran and Shirley just getting started.

When a young diphtheria patient is lost to Shirley's inattention, Lombard takes the rap for her and the film is about Lombard trying to get back to the top of her profession. There's a bit of guilt in Lombard as she feels she may have pressured Shirley to following the same profession. Along the way Lombard meets Brian Aherne who is a similarly dedicated doctor.

They also have to deal with millionaire rake Julien Mitchell who is the head of the hospital board with the power to help and who won't do it, saying they have to economize. He even cites the war as an excuse. As Lombard so graphically points out there's no truce or cease fire in their war against disease.

It's hard to believe that the madcap Carole Lombard of My Man Godfrey is the same stoic nurse in Vigil In the Night. But carry off the role she does. In this film her acting is all in the eyes.

Not as well known as the film adaptions of other A.J. Cronin work like The Keys Of The Kingdom and Hatter's Castle, and The Citadel. But Vigil In The Night can hold its own with any of the other three.

poignant story about ignorance among medical professionals...Carole Lombard is excellent as a conscientious nurse who teams with a local doctor to overcome medical incompetence and prejudice. Her sister, who is also a nurse means well, but complicates matters...Lombard's comedic skills certainly didn't hurt her portrayal, and gave more than the usual depth to a role that could have been one-dimensional...the music is evocative, and it makes the scenes in the children's ward of the hospital especially poignant. The finale, tho corny and reflective of Hollywood mores of that era, is uplifting. Despite a bitter-sweet resolution, it leaves us with an offer of hope for the future.

Dedicated and conscientious nurse Anne Lee (Carole Lombard) and her younger sister Lucy (Anne Shirley) are both nurses at the same hospital. When a little boy dies due to Lucy's negligence, Anne takes the blame and is promptly fired. She manages to find work at another hospital, where she quickly earns the respect of her superiors and also finds love with a doctor (Brian Aherne). But she must endure many more problems, including an amorous hospital benefactor and a nurse from her previous post who knows all about why she was discharged.

Fine showcase for Lombard's dramatic talents, which are often overlooked because she was such a great comedienne. The cast backing her up helps keep this from descending into hokum, which it easily could have. Brian Aherne is great, as is beautiful Anne Shirley. Brenda Forbes lightens things up as a comic relief nurse. Early role for Peter Cushing. It's really an exceptional film. The kind we're probably too cynical to make anymore. Lombard fans will eat it up. Nurses should like it, as well, since it's ultimately all about admiration for their profession.

Fine performances by Carole Lombard and Anne Shirley, as sisters who persue demanding nursing careers. Film is bolstered by the stoic yet compassionate doctor played by leading man, Brian Aherne. Carole Lombard fans, used to her in comedic roles, are in for a treat as this role show cases Ms. Lombards versatility as an actress.

1940's "Vigil in the Night" was a dramatic departure for comedic actress Carole Lombard, in a serious performance that never descends into cliché. Anne Lee (Lombard) is a conscientious nurse dedicated to duty, yet accepts blame for the death of a little boy who perished while her derelict younger sister Lucy (Anne Shirley) was off making tea. Joe Shand (Peter Cushing) is in love with Anne, who refuses his marriage proposal, and finds employment at another hospital, where she hopes her sister will eventually join her once she earns her certificate. Instead, Lucy impulsively marries Joe and moves to London, where they have a falling out, Lucy again finding trouble while Anne loyally stands by her. Brian Aherne is fine as a doctor who falls for Anne, and special mention must go to Ethel Griffies' eccentric performance as head matron. This was only Peter Cushing's third feature, and while his six minutes on screen are on par with the other films he made in those two years in Hollywood, he shares the screen with Lombard in all four, and earned some critical notice as well, one reviewer even comparing him to Spencer Tracy.

Enjoyed reading A.J.Cronin's books and this film was a big favorite with people in the 1940's and will continue to be for many generations to come. Carol Lombard, (Anne Lee) was type cast as a pretty actress who was well known for her roles in comedy and this film showed the film industry she was capable of being a great dramatic actress which she was in this film. This film portrays the conditions which nurses had to do years ago in England and it is a rather sad film but a very down to earth one. Anne Lee takes the blame for her sister Lucy Lee, (Anne Shirley) for causing a young boy to die because of negligence of her duties. These sisters were both studying to become nurses and Anne already had her certificate to practice. Anne has a very rough life in this story and for some reason she always manages to stand by her sister no matter what trouble she gets into. This is a must see enjoyable Classic Film.

My only problem with this film is that any actress of the day could have carried this off. Carole Lombard was truly the queen of comedy. No one could touch her. So although she is very good in this dramatic turn, I always wish she had just stuck to the fun stuff. Especially since her career was not all that long.

I was totally mesmerized by the performance of Carole Lombard and Brian Aherne. She was definitely Academy Award material for this movie. The undercurrent of their secret love for one another is very sexually tense. He is taken with her from the very beginning. This movie makes you long for the old time nurses who wore caps and who were so compassionate. You also long for the old time Doctors who were dedicated and not always looking at their watches to make sure you haven't taken more than a Medicare Minute, or that it's getting close to 5pm.

It is definitely spellbinding. Carole handles herself in such a professional manner and and manages to keep her cool in such demanding settings. She plays a good Samaritan for her sister and puts her own career into jeopardy by taking the blame for her student nurse immature sister. She evokes sentiment in women to do what one has to do and not complain about it.For this reason the story in inspirational. It's got nothing of materialism in it, or agendas that aren't uplifting. You feel good about life after watching this wonderful, don't miss, movie. Please make this available to Schools of Nursing.

The Title Vigil in the Night promotes wonderment, because all kinds of things can happen in the night hours. Thanks, MB

A.J. Cronin's frustration and anger with the medical profession had translated to the screen so well with "The Citadel," and while some of those themes reverberate in this treatment of another novel of his, it's hardly its cinematic equal. George Stevens, better known at this point for comedies and musicals, heaps nobility upon nobility in this cloying tale of a devoted British nurse (Carole Lombard, sans British accent) and her far less devoted nurse sister (Anne Shirley) and their frustrations and challenges in several hospitals, including hypocritical rich patrons, lack of funds, unsympathetic bureaucracy, and smallpox. It opens with the death of an innocent child, no less, and Stevens thrusts the camera right up in the lad's face, the better to make us weep. It continues with similar emotional manipulation--adorable innocent kids suffering, dark hospital corridors, sneering colleagues. Carole's good--when wasn't she?--and Anne's pretty good, too, and Peter Cushing, as her unfortunate spouse, is quite good. A romance between Carole and impossibly noble doctor Brian Aherne is so stifled as to barely be there, and the slurpy music keeps telling us how to feel every damn minute. Some very nice cinematography, and I'll watch Carole in anything, but as an indictment of medical hypocrisies, it's slow and obvious.

What a tour-de-force for Carole Lombard! If you've only seen her in screwball comedies, you've got to check out her serious dramatic turn in Vigil in the Night. Rosalind Russell wasn't the only actress who played women of authority in the silver screen. Carole plays a serious, dedicated nurse who wants nothing more than to be efficient and useful.

Her sister, Anne Shirley, is also a nurse, but she doesn't hold her sister's ethics. In between the sisters' shifts, Anne leaves a critically ill patient to pour herself a cup of tea. It's only for a moment, but the patient dies, and Anne is called before the medical board. Carole takes the blame, lying and saying she was the one on duty instead. Of course, Carole is dismissed from the hospital and given bad references so she might never get another job. Carole vows she won't be broken and eventually, she accepts a lowly position at an underfunded hospital. She has to endure bad treatment, reminders of her past, and working her way up from the bottom with a strict overseer. Two rewards await her if she succeeds: the pride of knowing she didn't let one mistake beat her, and the handsome, supportive doctor Brian Aherne she's fallen in love with.

This unforgotten classic is a very strong movie with an even stronger performance by its leading lady. I was never a Carole Lombard fan, but I really like her when I'm able to catch her in a drama. She's made of strong stuff in this role. She's so believable as a nurse who's seen her share and can handle worse. If you like her in this movie that won her a Rag nomination for Best Actress, check her out in They Knew What They Wanted, which won her a Rag Award!

Carole Lombard ,who at the time sadly had only two more years to live ,shines in her part of a devoted nurse,who gives it all;the first part of the movie is a bit boring,but halfway through it hits its stride ,grabs you and does not leave you till the last pictures ,which avoid the traditional mushy happy end:a nurse's work is never done.

Because "vigil in the night" is primarily,essentially ,a tribute to the nurses in England,a tribute to their admirable work,to their courage when they cure infectious patients ,to their war which is never over:for a measly salary (a nurse says) and only half a day off (at best!);today the nurses condition has improved,but their work is not yet given the credit they deserve ,so "vigil" is still relevant in 2012.The scene of the artificial respiration (by Lucy)has got something of Frank Borzage .Most of all ,in the last scenes,George Stevens makes us feel the camaraderie,the solidarity between the nurses.

Beautiful nurse Carole Lombard (as Anne Lee) covers for her likewise employed sister Anne Shirley (as Lucy Lee) when the latter's negligence causes the death of a child. This melodrama suffers from the onset because we do not have a clear understanding of these two nurses; especially why does Ms. Lombard suddenly cover for Ms. Shirley who almost immediately admits she's an awful nurse. Nobody mentions Lombard's apparent disdain for the clearly stated "no cosmetics" rule given at her London job. However, it is interesting to follow the sisters' tragedies, and they are made more believable by having flaws. Director George Stevens helps, as do male admirers Brian Aherne and Peter Cushing.

***** Vigil in the Night (2/5/40) George Stevens ~ Carole Lombard, Anne Shirley, Brian Aherne, Peter Cushing