The Great Moment

source: The Great Moment

Regardless of the contentious history of this film (well explained by a couple of other reviewers), "The Great Moment" falls far short of the quality of biopics that the various Hollywood studios had been producing. That may be in part because of the story itself. The movie is based on a 1940 novel by Rene Fulop-Miller, "Triumph Over Pain." It's the story of a Boston dentist, Dr. William Morton, who was the first dental surgeon to use ether as an anesthetic in surgery a hundred years earlier. He was dogged by controversy as he insisted that he had discovered the use of ether for such purpose. But others refuted his claim for any number of reasons - most seemingly selfish. The story is told in flashbacks in the film by Morton's wife, Elizabeth (Betty Field), and it has some humor. But, mostly this is a downer of a film. Although Joel McCrea plays the role of Morton well, and all of the cast are fine, the story seems depressing. It leaves one with a bad taste about the pursuit of discoveries in medicine, science, etc. One can't avoid a notion that Morton - and perhaps most others portrayed in this film, were obsessed with the claim and recognition of discovery, rather than with the value and benefit of that discovery for mankind. At least, that's the way the film plays out as released by Paramount two years after the version Preston Sturges worked on had been shelved. Morton was the first to demonstrate the use of ether in surgery. That much is attested to by most sources. But the question of discovery of the use isn't answered. So, this story then becomes something of a sad tale of one man's work and role in a medical field. Perhaps, that points to something society should understand. That is, that throughout all of history, for each notable discovery or breakthrough in science or medicine, there may have been countless thousands of other people and efforts being tried for the same aim, but that never succeeded. Maybe students of medicine or dentistry will find this interesting, but for most, it won't be very enjoyable.

A great film 'The Great Moment' could have, and should have, been. Really love Preston Sturges as a director and writer and his golden period ranging from 1940 to 1944 was one of the best prime/golden periods of any director to me. A period that saw 'The Great McGinty', 'Christmas in July', 'The Lady Eve', 'Sullivan's Travels', 'The Palm Beach Story', 'The Miracle of Morgan's Creek' and 'Hail the Conquering Hero', all very good to masterpiece films. 'Unfaithfully Yours' was also great. Sadly, 'The Great Moment', which didn't turn out the way Sturges intended and was the victim of mis-marketing, delayed release and destructive studio interference, didn't materialise as that great film. It is not a terrible film or unwatchable, it just felt disappointing and bland. Disappointing by Sturges standards, as it often did not feel like a Sturges film in direction or writing, and by that it was released after a string of several hits in a row. Really do appreciate Sturges' obvious good intentions, and it was laudable trying to make something entertaining out of the true story of a forgotten dentist and out of a subject that is really quite serious and potentially not that interesting. It sadly did not turn out that way and after such a consistent streak Sturges had his first failure and it is still one of his lesser films along with 'The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend'. There are good things with 'The Great Moment'. It's nicely made visually, nothing amateurish here. The music is pleasant and fits well. There are a few sporadically funny moments, that with William Demarest faring most memorably, and the ending while rather abrupt has emotional power and hope. It is the cast that make 'The Great Moment' watchable. Although the character himself could have been far more interesting, Joel McCrea makes a good sensitive account of himself. Meanwhile Betty Field makes much of little and Harry Carey and Julius Tannon are the supporting cast standouts. William Demarest does his best but he is much better and funnier in other films. Sturges however, for this point of his career, directs with somewhat of a heavy hand and with the way the film was treated there is the implication that he was at sea of what to do with the material or was not interested in it. All of this not like him at all. The writing also suffers, it lacks sharpness, wit, sophistication and bite and the worst of it is pretty embarrassing. The attempts at comedy are on the most part both over-played and fatigued while feeling at odds with the more dramatic material, which tended to be bland and dull. Regarding the story, it doesn't ever properly come to life, failing to make what could have been really enlightening if done right rather mundane and so what, and structurally it veers on rushed and disjointed. The characters could have been more engaging and the way they are written comes over as one sided. Summarising, watchable but for Sturges this was disappointing and too far away from a great moment. Mainly to be seen for completest sake. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Everybody else seems to think there's a lot wrong with this film, but I rather liked it. THE GREAT MOMENT (1944) sees Preston Sturges doing something a little different from the screwy comedies that he's known for. The movie is not a comedy, first of all. It's a more serious Sturges film about a real historical figure. It's the story of the discovery of anesthesia, which would revolutionize medical practice by allowing for painless surgeries. I thought it was very interesting. Joel McCrea plays W.T.G. Morton, the dentist and amateur scientist who experiments with the use of ether vapor to dull the senses. Ultimately he must share his discovery with the world for the benefit of all mankind, rather than exploit his secret for profit. The flick breezes by at 81 minutes, so it doesn't delve into the protagonist's personal life as much as other biopics. Sturges puts his own spin on the Hollywood biopic with his flair for comedy still shining through, particularly in William Demarest's scenes. Under Sturges's direction, even the scenes of Morton reading a reference book manage to capture the thrill of scientific discovery and there's some interesting non-linear storytelling early on. THE GREAT MOMENT may not be a signature Preston Sturges comedy, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it.

I'm a great admirer of Preston Sturges but this movie of his seemed confused as to whether it wanted to be a straight drama or something more light-hearted. In the end, it tries to mix both elements but the outcome is ultimately unconvincing. The story of a pioneering dentist in the mid-19th Century seeking to find a usable ether treatment so that patients don't have to suffer painful operational treatments while still awake, its presentation lacks the sparkle of his more celebrated screwball comedies and political satires of the time. I think it would have worked slightly better as a serious drama, although the invention of a workable anaesthetic doesn't on paper make for the most gripping drama. Perhaps it's for this reason that Sturges feels the need to insert moments of pure slapstick (in particular when his test patient, played by William Demarest goes crazy after receiving the wrong dosage and there's the whole episode of the doc pursuing his pet dog to further test his concoction. Joel McCrae is the idealistic young dentist in pursuit of a no-side-effects sleeping draught and Betty Field his exasperated but still loyal wife. I quite liked both but felt their respective characterisations were sometimes contradictory. As for the Damascan-type conversion of McCrae at the end, I felt this was overdone and dine in a heavy-handed, not to say very sudden way. Throughout there are signs of Sturges' directorial flair and way with a narrative, but this in truth is a two-paced movie with different strands pulling against each other to the detriment of the whole. He would assuredly improve as the decade progressed. Joel McCrae has the lead part as the crusading Dr Morgan and Betty Field co-stars as his supportive if simpering wife.

The Great Moment is a film that baby boomers should enjoy. It is primarily for the over 40 crowd. I always enjoy these kind of quasi-historical films about new discoveries and such. The Great Moment is a good film to watch in the afternoon or even late at night by oneself. The film is in black and white, typical of a 40s film. The film moves along at a good, not fast, not too slow, pace. The subject of the film is one that most of us has had some touch on -- subjugation of pain while at the dentist's office. These kinds of films are always of some interest to find out how discoveries are made in the field of science. Bring your glass of wine and a sandwich or even a bowl of popcorn. Enjoy.

Decidedly odd, you might think, coming from Preston Sturges but then again, perhaps not as the idiosyncratic Sturges seldom stuck to 'conventional' genre pictures; even his screw-ball comedies were more perverse than what was the norm in Hollywood at the time, so this biopic of the man who discovered anesthesia for use in the dental profession is a far cry from the usual Hollywood biopic, (even the subject is obscure and unlikely). Not, of course, is it necessarily any better for that. It's a slight, disingenuous little picture veering uneasily from drama to comedy without making much of an inroad either way. Joel McCrea, (blander than usual), is the crusading dentist, (sic), and Betty Field, the wife who eggs him on. Some of the Sturges stock company pop up in sundry supporting parts, (noticeably William Demarest), but none make much of an impression. They, like the film, remain largely inoffensive. Not a failure, precisely, but a blip nevertheless.

The Great Moment, as I'm sure you know, is not a typical Preston Sturges movie. It is a historical drama with a few comic moments, all of which are clunky (although a couple of the stranger ones are so bizarre they're entertaining in a way, especially when Morton tries to knock out his dog with ether). The film might actually have been quite great if the comedy were subtracted completely. Yeah, I know, we're talking Sturges here. But Sturges was a great dramatic director, too. See The Great McGinty if you don't believe me - the comedy there is less than in many of his other films, and the drama is more pronounced. Most often, Sturges was a master of mixing both dramatic and comedic moments. All of his films were like that. The Great Moment has an excellent story at its core. A dentist - he was in medical school, but he ran out of money and had to earn his living as a dentist - wants to find a way to knock out his patients before he pulls teeth. He does so with ether. He also has aspirations to introduce the use of ether into the medical profession. These intentions are noble, but his patent hasn't come through and he feels the guilt of every painful operation. You see, the AMA will not allow doctors to use Letheon (his name for it) unless they know exactly what it is. But as soon as he tells, everyone will know, and his discovery will go unrecognized. The film actually has a very good structure. It begins in medias res, with Morton (Joel McCrea, who is very good in the film) being advised on how to proceed legally to attain a patent. In taking these steps, he ruins his career and reputation. The rest of the film is the buildup to the loss of his secret. The final scene is very powerful. 7/10. One other small reason you should see this: Franklin Pangborn has the funniest facial hair in this film! Grady Sutton also has a really funny scene.

This rather run of the mill film is one that hardly shows the famed Preston Sturges touch. Sturgis was known for comedy...and this is certainly NOT a comedy (despite IMDb listing it as one). It's a rather ordinary story about a real-life man, William Thomas Green Morton, one of the first to use ether for pain elimination in various types of surgeries. While his being the originator is definitely up to debate (I did some research on this), what is not up to debate is how unremarkable the film is despite Sturges and a talented leading man, Joel McCrea. Perhaps much of this is because Paramount was dissatisfied with the film and even shelved and re-edited it--shooting some scenes again to try to spice up this film. I have no idea how good the original film was--all I know is that this one is just okay and its ending seems very abrupt and unsatisfying. There are much better medical films out there (such as "The Story of Louis Pasteur" and "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet") and it's a film only to be sought out by Sturges fans who are anxious to see everything that this famed writer/director created. Clearly a misfire--but on whose part?!

From The Great McGinty until leaving Paramount at the close of World War II, Preston Sturges created a stream of comedy classics, some of the funniest moments ever put on film. His one failure while he was at Paramount was this film, The Great Moment. Paramount had Sturges under contract and as such he had to do their bidding and on this occasion the studio required of him to direct this biographical film of the life of William T.G. Morton, the alleged inventor of ether. From their point of view it was one odd choice to direct a biographical film like The Story of Louis Pasteur or Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet. What possessed the studio brains to select Sturges? On the other hand Sturges did have a lot of creative freedom at Paramount so why didn't he just take one for the team and direct a straight forward biography? He did neither and the film had stalwart Joel McCrea as the dentist who demonstrated the first public use of ether during surgery. Betty Field was his long suffering wife in an earnest, but rather dull biographical study. It's not even that Morton was that noble because there were other claims by people who were working along the same lines as he. It all amounts to a confusing story. William Demarest was a player beloved of Preston Sturges and he appeared in all of his Paramount films. He does so here as a man who was willing to be experimented on by McCrea. When McCrea gives him a dose of the wrong stuff the results are hilarious, but oh so out of place in this type of film. For those who love Preston Sturges's comedies as I do, this is one to stay away from.