The Lamp Still Burns

Produced by Leslie Howard, The Lamp Still Burns (1943) was released a few months after Howard's death on June 1, 1943, when his plane was shot down by the Luftwaffe over the Bay of Biscay. He was flying home after a lecture tour that was rumored to have been a cover for British Intelligence work during World War II. Howard had produced some of his own starring vehicles of the period including Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939), 'Pimpernel' Smith (1941) and Spitfire (1942). But with The Gentle Sex (1943) and The Lamp Still Burns, both concerning the roles played by women during the war and devoted to lifting England's spirits, he preferred to remain behind the camera so that his presence would not be distracting. The Gentle Sex, which Howard directed and narrated as well as producing, looked at recruits in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women's branch of the British Army. The Lamp Still Burns, based on a novel by Monica Dickens (the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens) called One Pair of Feet, takes up the day-to-day struggles of the nurses who served in British hospitals during the war. Howard had planned to direct this one as well, but Maurice Elvey took over after his untimely death. Lamp opens with an announcement that it is "A tribute to all those who nurse, made with the assistance and collaboration of the Ministry of Health." Under the opening credits are images linking nurses of the day to such noted forebears as Edith Cavell and Florence Nightingale, bearer of the lamp referred to in the film's title. Rosamund John, a popular British film actress of the day, plays Hilary Clarke, a successful young architect who is passionate in her determination to retrain as a nurse and achieves her goal only after considerable personal sacrifice. Along with the severe restrictions and rules, Hilary and her fellow nurses face terrible conditions, nursing their patients not only in hectic hospital wards but in air raid shelters and bombed-out buildings. A climactic scene shows a crucial operation being performed during an air raid. A romantic triangle develops when young engineer Larry Rains (Stewart Granger, looking very young indeed in his first major screen role) is attracted to Hilary even though he is engaged to another woman. After Larry and his fiancée are injured in an explosion at the plant where he works, they end up under Hilary's care in the hospital where she is training. These complications are worked out in tandem with Hilary's devotion to the nursing profession despite its overwhelming demands. Even the hospital's strict matron (Cathleen Nesbitt) keeps a framed photograph of an old flame that reminds her of everything she has given up to be a nurse. The supporting cast also includes Godfrey Tearle, John Laurie, Ernest Thesiger, Wylie Watson and, in her screen debut as a female doctor, Joyce Grenfell (credited as "Greenfell"). Critic Michael Brooks wrote that, "Given the government backing, it's both surprising and commendable that the film is so brutally honest about the drawbacks of going into nursing. The crunchingly unsubtle script can be accused of many things, but it certainly doesn't sugar-coat the issues." Producer: Leslie Howard Director: Maurice Elvey Screenplay: C. Nelson, Roland Pertwee (additional dialogue); Elizabeth Baron (writer); Monica Dickens (novel) Cinematography: Bob Krasker Music: John Greenwood Film Editing: Frederick Wilson Cast: Rosamund John (Hilary Clarke), Stewart Granger (Laurence Rains), Godfrey Tearle (Sir Marshall Freyne), Sophie Stewart (Christine Morris), Cathleen Nesbitt (The Matron), Margaret Vyner (Pamela Siddell), John Laurie (Mr. Hervey), Joan Maude (Sister Catley), Mignon O'Doherty (Sister Tutor), Leslie Dwyer (Siddons). BW-87m. by Roger Fristoe