WOMEN IN WAR

 

WOMEN IN WAR is a 1940 picture made by Republic, concerning the trials and tribulations of a group of Englishwomen who become nurses at the beginning of Britain's entry into WWII. The movie features several actors familiar to classic horror films fans, including Peter Cushing. 

Wendy Barrie plays Pamela, a spoiled woman who accidentally kills a man while defending herself from his unwanted advances. Her lawyer gets her out of the situation by having her join the women's auxiliary corps as a nurse. After her training, Pamela is sent to France, where she attracts the attention of a handsome RAF pilot (Patric Knowles). The pilot, however, is engaged to one of Pamela's fellow nurses (Mae Clarke). Pamela decides to encourage the pilot, and this and her cynical attitude doesn't make her very popular with the rest of the nursing staff. It all ends with the nurses being called to the front and having to avoid being shelled during an artillery barrage. 

If you didn't know any better, you'd assume that WOMEN IN WAR was made by Universal. There are a number of actors in it that were veterans of that studio's thrillers, including Patric Knowles, Mae Clarke, Lawrence Grant, Lester Matthews, and the ubiquitous Holmes Herbert. Peter Cushing has a very small role as a RAF captain, but he does get to be onscreen alongside Mae Clarke a few rimes, making this a direct connection between the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN and THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. 

Wendy Barrie plays the role of Pamela almost too well. She's so cynical and cold that one wishes that somehow she gets her comeuppance. Pamela doesn't want to be a military nurse, so one expects that her character will go through a change of heart and perform some sort of heroic or noble act...but she doesn't. Pamela is so unlikable that the viewer doesn't care too much about what becomes of her, or the fact that the matron of the nurses (Elsie Janish) happens to be her mother, which she hasn't seen in 20 years. Mae Clarke (as she almost always did in a supporting part) steals the movie as the decent alternative to Pamela. 

WOMEN IN WAR was directed by John H. Auer, and it was actually nominated for an Oscar in the best special effects category. The FX battle sequences are quite good for the period (and the budget), but the story is more like a soap opera instead of a war tale. Film geeks will appreciate it the most, due to the supporting cast.