Frank Borzage's 1932 Farewell to Arms was the first Hemingway story to be filmed, and was heavily criticized by the author. Perhaps this contributed to the relative obscurity of the film - for years a “lost film,” and one cut drastically. William K. Everson points out: “A Farewell to Arms was never a long film.... its original length was only 80 minutes. It was compact, tight, with no wasted footage; its story is underway immediately. When you start cutting a film that is that compact, you're asking for trouble. The reissue cut...partly to overcome then current censorship requirements, severely damaged the delicate balance of the film. When I saw it in its full form...I was quite stunned by its power and beauty....” As we go to press, we are attempting to obtain a complete 35mm version of the film, which will include both Borzage's original closing shots and the studio's compromise ending.
Hemingway had reasons for disapproving of the film: Borzage interprets the story of a soldier (Gary Cooper) who deserts for the love of a nurse (Helen Hayes) with all the tender, passionate warmth made equally conspicuous in Hemingway's novel by its absence. But if Borzage disappointed the followers of the lost generation, he put a big smile on the face of the surrealists:
“Borzage occupies an exalted position in the surrealist pantheon of cineastes, placed there partly thanks to his commitment to the annihilating force of love - to a world-denying l'amour fou. A Farewell to Arms is interestingly symptomatic in this respect.... World War I is foregrounded only to the extent that it thwarts the history of the romance....” --Bill Horrigan