The First Legion

The First Legion is a 1951 American drama film directed by Douglas Sirk and written by Emmet Lavery. The film stars Charles Boyer, William Demarest, Lyle Bettger, Walter Hampden, Barbara Rush, Wesley Addy, H. B. Warner and Leo G. Carroll. The film was released on April 27, 1951, by United Artists.[1][2]

The First Legion
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Douglas Sirk
Produced by	Douglas Sirk
Screenplay by	Emmet Lavery
Based on	The First Legion by Emmet Lavery
Starring	Charles Boyer William Demarest Lyle Bettger Walter Hampden Barbara Rush Wesley Addy H. B. Warner Leo G. Carroll
Music by	Hans Sommer
Cinematography	Robert De Grasse
Edited by	Francis D. Lyon
Production company	Sédif Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	April 27, 1951 (1951-04-27)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

Fr. John Fulton, a Jesuit instructor in a seminary school, feels he has lost his vocation. A talk with his friend Fr. Marc Arnoux is no help. But on the night he plans to leave the seminary (and the Order) his old teacher Fr. Jose Sierra miraculously gets up and walks, to tell him to stay. The young, wheelchair-bound neighbor Terry Gilmartin regains hope a similar miracle might allow her to walk; her physician, Dr. Peter Morrell, the same one who attended Fr. Sierra, and who is in love with Terry, confesses that he had engineered Sierra's miraculous recovery, to Fr. Arnoux, but refuses his advice to tell the truth. The Jesuit seminary rector orders Fr. Arnoux to plead the validity of the miracle before the Vatican, in Rome. When his highly respected subordinate refuses, the rector dies of a heart attack. At that point Dr. Morrell admits his deception, in particular to Terry, who goes to the seminary chapel and, miraculously, gets out of her wheelchair, at the moment she prays for Dr. Morrell.

Cast

• Charles Boyer as Father Marc Arnoux
• William Demarest as Monsignor Michael Carey
• Lyle Bettger as Dr. Peter Morrell
• Walter Hampden as Father Edward Quarterman
• Barbara Rush as Terry Gilmartin
• Wesley Addy as Father John Fulton
• H. B. Warner as Fr. Jose Sierra
• Leo G. Carroll as Father Rector Paul Duquesne
• Taylor Holmes as Father Keene
• H. B. Warner as Fr. Jose Sierra
• George Zucco as Father Robert Stuart
• John McGuire as Father Tom Rawleigh
• Clifford Brooke as Brother Clifford
• Dorothy Adams as Mrs. Dunn
• Molly Lamont as Mrs. Nora Gilmartin
• Queenie Smith as Henrietta
• Jacqueline deWit as Miss Hamilton
• Bill Edwards as Joe

Restoration

The film was restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with funding provided by The Louis B. Mayer Foundation and The Carl David Memorial Fund for Film Preservation; the restoration was publicly screened in March 2015.[3][4]

References

1. "The First Legion (1951) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
2. "The First Legion". TV Guide. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
3. "The First Legion / Journey into Light [programme note]". UCLA Film & Television Archive. 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
4. Kenneth Turan (2015-02-27). "UCLA film festival a fascinating window into our cinematic past". Retrieved 2016-03-12.

External links

• The First Legion on IMDb
• The First Legion on YT