Destiny (1944) DVD-R
Starring Gloria Jean, Alan Curtis, Frank Craven, Grace McDonald, Vivian Austin
Directed by Reginald Le Borg, Julien Duvivier
Print: black/white
Runtime: 65 min.
Genre: drama
Print Quality: B
When director Julien Duvivier's episodic, all-star drama Flesh and Fantasy (1943) proved a bit too
long in previews, Universal decided to remove the film's opening segment, which dealt with
the foredoomed romance between an escaped criminal and a blind girl. Because this
segment was too good to waste, the studio hired screenwriter Roy Chanslor to come up
with additional material and Reginald LeBorg to direct a few new scenes, so that the
episode could be released as a separate feature film. The result was the 65-minute Destiny,
a curious melange of the sublime and the banal. The Duvivier-directed footage stars Alan
Curtis as fugitive-from-justice Cliff Banks, who hides from the authorities in the farmhouse
owned by kindly Clem Broderick (Frank Craven). Clem's daughter Jane (Gloria Jean), blind
from birth, 'sees' only the good in the outwardly unsavory Cliff, so it isn't surprising that the
two fall in love. This tender little episode was supposed to have ended tragically, but
Universal insisted upon a few 'framing' scenes, directed by LeBorg, wherein Cliff is shown
to be innocent of the crimes for which he has been imprisoned, and which allowed Cliff and
Jane a happy denouement The stylistic schism between the 'old' and 'new' scenes is
glaringly obvious; still, what's left of the original Duvivier footage is terrific, with Alan Curtis
and Gloria Jean offering the finest performances of their screen careers.
Starring Gloria Jean, Alan Curtis, Frank Craven, Grace McDonald, Vivian Austin
Directed by Reginald Le Borg, Julien Duvivier
Print: black/white
Runtime: 65 min.
Genre: drama
Print Quality: B
When director Julien Duvivier's episodic, all-star drama Flesh and Fantasy (1943) proved a bit too
long in previews, Universal decided to remove the film's opening segment, which dealt with
the foredoomed romance between an escaped criminal and a blind girl. Because this
segment was too good to waste, the studio hired screenwriter Roy Chanslor to come up
with additional material and Reginald LeBorg to direct a few new scenes, so that the
episode could be released as a separate feature film. The result was the 65-minute Destiny,
a curious melange of the sublime and the banal. The Duvivier-directed footage stars Alan
Curtis as fugitive-from-justice Cliff Banks, who hides from the authorities in the farmhouse
owned by kindly Clem Broderick (Frank Craven). Clem's daughter Jane (Gloria Jean), blind
from birth, 'sees' only the good in the outwardly unsavory Cliff, so it isn't surprising that the
two fall in love. This tender little episode was supposed to have ended tragically, but
Universal insisted upon a few 'framing' scenes, directed by LeBorg, wherein Cliff is shown
to be innocent of the crimes for which he has been imprisoned, and which allowed Cliff and
Jane a happy denouement The stylistic schism between the 'old' and 'new' scenes is
glaringly obvious; still, what's left of the original Duvivier footage is terrific, with Alan Curtis
and Gloria Jean offering the finest performances of their screen careers.
| Product Name | Destiny (1944) DVD-R |
|---|---|
| This item is returnable | No |
