Anthony Adverse (1936)

Academy Awards, USA 1937

Won Oscar	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Gale Sondergaard
	Best Cinematography Tony Gaudio
	Best Film Editing Ralph Dawson
	Best Music, Score Leo F. Forbstein (head of department) Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold.
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture
	Best Art Direction Anton Grot
	Best Assistant Director William H. Cannon

Warner Bros.
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy

My rating 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Warner Archive)

Poor Anthony must fulfill the destiny of his name. We get the complete biography: from the tragedy surrounding his birth, his days in a friendly orphanage, his new life as a businessman, downfall as a slave trader and rebirth in French high society. Somehow he ends up fighting for the hand of his wife against Napoleon Bonaparte of all people. The music is good and there are some brief opera scenes. However, the acting is unsteady and the film tries to cover too much ground. It is entertaining, though.