Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Clevercell Very disappointing...

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

clanciai Tyrone Power is completely deprived of all his Hollywood attributes here, he is shabby and unshaved like a bum, his good looks are purposely disposed of and as much altered as possible to the contrary, his character is doubtful, while Joan Fontaine outshines him all the way and constantly more and more, which makes it impossible not to burst out into tears when she does.It's a chapter out of the most critical point of the war after Dunkirk at the beginning of the long nightmare blitz of London, and all the bombing scenes couldn't have been made more real and convincing. Tyrone is a veteran from Dunkirk, almost decorated, bitterly disillusioned about the war and its glory and finds no meaning in any aspect of the struggle, while Joan in bursts of impressing honesty gives him second thoughts. But there is much more to it than their epitomized romance.Perhaps the most important ingredient is the other characters. Thomas Mitchell actually saves the show, Alexander Knox is the only one who immediately and thoroughly understands Tyrone's predicament of conscience, Gladys Cooper is gloriously superior as always, Nigel Bruce adds some vital Dickensian comedy, Philip Merivale as the doctor is another vital contribution, and there are others, some not even mentioned. On the whole, it's a perfect masterpiece of film pinpointing the very eye of the storm of the second world war.

edwagreen It appeared that there was never-ending dialogue between the two major characters in the film- Joan Fontaine and Tyrone Power.Fontaine comes from an aristocratic family; although, her father, Philip Merivale is not at all a snob. Gladys Cooper is at it again; younger than she looked in her great performance that year in "Now, Voyager, but as snobbish as the come. She believes in equality providing that it doesn't affect her. Had her part been more developed, she would have really been something, but she appears in two scenes, and one is just a walk-by.Ditto for Sara Allgood. A year after her brilliant performance in "How Green Was My Valley," she is reduced here to a one- scene stand as a waitress. Yes, a waitress!Fontaine defies her family and joins the WACS only to find romance with Power. About an hour into the film, we learn that he is a deserter. He goes through the fact that despite Dunkirk, are we in England fighting this war to maintain the upper classes. He is searching for something, perhaps the same thing that he longed for 4 years later in "The Razor's Edge."Alexander Knox, so brilliant in 1944's "Wilson," plays a parson that Power encounters while on the lam. It is spiritual guidance along with the prodding of the Fontaine character that seems to set Power straight, only for him to be hurt aiding others in an air-raid bombing of London.

Neil Doyle THIS ABOVE ALL succeeds as a romantic drama largely because of the two leading performances of TYRONE POWER and JOAN FONTAINE, both at their physical peak. Fontaine makes a radiant, spirited Prudence and Power has that sincere quality that makes Clive a real character.On the debit side, it has the faults typical of many wartime films in the '40s--the propaganda attitude is full of flag-waving moments, such as Fontaine's monologue about England's brave fight for victory. Nevertheless, she gives one of her better performances as an aristocratic young British woman who enlists in the WAF, meets Power and quickly falls deeply in love. It's the romantic aspect of the tale that is a clear winner--but the preachy elements in the screenplay do considerable harm in dulling its merits as a motion picture.The wartime scenes of bombings and air raids is extremely well handled, the B&W photography is excellent, but Alfred Newman's syrupy score used throughout never gets a chance to rest.Power and Fontaine make a handsome couple and the cast includes Thomas Mitchell, always a welcome character actor, as a caring friend.Anatole Litvak's direction is occasionally striking but this director has done much more dramatic and serious work (such as SORRY, WRONG NUMBER and THE SNAKE PIT) with greater effect.It ends up being only mildly satisfying, mainly because of the chemistry of the two stars.

blanche-2 Tyrone Power is a man with a secret when he falls in love with upper class Joan Fontaine in "This Above All," a 1942 film that also stars Thomas Mitchell and Gladys Cooper. Fontaine plays Prudence, a young woman from a wealthy British family who joins the WAFs. One night, a fellow WAF asks her to double date with her and her soon to be fiancée, and there, in the darkness of a blackout, she meets Clive Briggs (Power), a very complicated young man who's not in uniform. The two fall in love and go on holiday together, and it is while vacationing that Prudence realizes that Clive has seen battle. She finally wrenches his secret out of him.This is a really lovely, dark film based on the book of the same name. Unlike the movie, the book is filled with sex so there, it disappoints. Thanks to the code, the couple have adjoining rooms, and Prudence tells her father, "We've done nothing to be ashamed of." It's somewhat frustrating - I mean, it's Tyrone Power in the next room, and you're not sleeping with him?Despite this, the performances are wonderful. Fontaine, with her soft, elegant beauty, is totally believable as both a compassionate and a passionate woman. Power's almost ridiculous beauty of the 1930s, that ethereal perfection that outshone his female costars, has been replaced by 1942 with the wonderful handsomeness that would carry him through the '50s. His looks - and the roles given him by his studio - caused him to be underrated as an actor. Here, however, he's the Larry Darrell of "The Razor's Edge" gone over to the dark side - troubled, pensive, sometimes cold, with moods that change abruptly - and he's excellent in what is a very different kind of role for him.One never loses what's Clive's about. For instance, Clive resents and hates the upper class. When he walks into the office of the commanding officer he begged to see and hears him making social plans on the telephone, his face changes, and you realize that this is the type of person that he detests. If only Mr. Zanuck hadn't been so enamored of Power's voice that he discouraged him from doing accents. There's no doubt, if his fooling around in "Rose of Washington Square" and suggestion of an accent in "Lloyds of London" are any indication, that he could have done a British accent without any problem were it demanded of him. Gregory Peck didn't use one either in The Guns of Navarone which confused people. But according to "Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck," the studio head had very rigid ideas about his most important star. One poster thought this would have been a good role for Olivier - I disagree. Olivier would not have been as convincing as a common man as Power was.This is a propaganda film, of course, so Fontaine has a big monologue about England and what it means. It's a little melodramatic but appropriate given the times and the subject matter. This is a minor point in a film rich with characterization and atmosphere. When Clive and Prudence first meet, they catch a glimpse of one another while a cigarette is being lit - it's terribly romantic and sweet, as is the entire film. Highly recommended.