Picture 6: Cavalcade (1933)

1933 and we are greeted with another black and white talkie. We follow an upper-class London family through the trials of early 20th century living. It starts in 1899 and what follows is quite literally a cavalcade of world events - hence the title!

Queen Victoria's death is the prelude to years of tumult that include Boer War, the sinking of the Titanic, the Great War and the economic crises of the 1920s. The joyful moments are as noticeable as they are fleeting. The human reactions of the main characters to suffering are also as various as the nature of our species. Some internalise the traumas of war leading only for a manifestation in other ways such as bad life decisions, marital breakdown and addiction. Others seem to bare the suffering with an impressive stoicism but this does not detract from the emotional wounds of the age. Memorably, one of the female characters on the Titanic who is very happy and in love for the first time has the tragically appropriate insight that her happiness is temporary and their love, that feels so real in that moment, will fade in time...

The scale is perhaps too large to really feel invested in the characters but it is a solid history lesson and a good use of 112 minutes of earthly time.

Reflections on the human condition:

1. A tragedy does not necessarily have to become hell.

2. Enjoy happy times because they may be fleeting.

3. Each human mind can become unwell in its own way.

Rating:

6/10

Oscar Best Picture Rankings:

1. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

2. Wings (1928)

3. Cimarron (1931)

4. Grand Hotel (1932)

5. Cavalcade (1933)

6. The Broadway Melody (1929)