The Man from Yesterday
Cast & Crew
Berthold Viertel
Claudette Colbert
Clive Brook
Charles Boyer
Andy Devine
Alan Mowbray
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In 1918, in Paris, with the war raging overhead, American Sylvia Suffolk and British officer Tony Clyde are married. They spend only a few hours together before Tony leaves for the front. Sometime later, Tony is gassed and left for dead near the trenches, and Sylvia, pregnant with his child, receives news of his death while working as a nurse for surgeon Rene Gaudin. Tony, however, is still alive and is taken as a prisoner of war. Sylvia, meanwhile, is taken back to Paris by Rene, who sees that she is well sustained. Armistice is declared, and a few years later, Sylvia leaves her son with a nurse and vacations in Switzerland with Rene. They have fallen in love, but as she has received no official news of Tony's death, Sylvia is reluctant to marry again. To their surprise, Rene and Sylvia find Tony convalescing in Switzerland. His loyal friend, Steve Hand, whom he met while they were prisoners, has been taking care of him. In hopes of finding Sylvia again, Tony has survived through a regimented health routine, but his lungs are severely damaged from the gas. Believing her duty is to Tony, Sylvia leaves Rene and brings Tony to Paris to meet his son. Sylvia's forced cheerfulness is undermined by her reluctance to engage in any physical affection with Tony, and he compels her to confess that she is still in love with Rene. Seeing no purpose to his life, Tony drinks himself to death.
Director
Berthold Viertel
Cast
Claudette Colbert
Clive Brook
Charles Boyer
Andy Devine
Alan Mowbray
Greta Meyer
Barbara Leonard
Yola D'avril
Ronald Cosbey
Emil Chautard
George Davis
Christian Rub
Marie Donn
Reginald Pasch
Boyd Irwin
Donald Stuart
Barry Winton
Jean De Briac
Fred Malatesta
Aileen Carlyle
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to a modern source the play, also known as The Best of Us, was based on a story by Nell Blackwell. Early scripts in the Paramount story files at the AMPAS library are called The Woman of Flame and list Robert Harris as associate producer. In the cast credits, Alan Mowbray's name was misspelled as "Allan."
