Review of Kings Row (1942) by Bob W — 22 Jan 2016

This is a coming of age story about a group of friends who grow up on or near Kings Row. Ronald Reagan gives a charismatic performance as Drake, the strong-willed, neighbourhood rogue. The movie is nicely sequenced and there is the odd beautifully scripted line.

At times it teeters on the brink of melodrama and the script gets stuck on some overbearing soliloquys. Overarching themes include: heroic perseverance in the face of nonsensical violence; a romanticized past in contrast to the fear of an uncertain future and the understanding that mental illnesses can be more difficult to heal than physical wounds.

Context is everything. Given when this movie was made (1942), it is quite understandable that thematically it would reflect what was happening in the world at the time and it would do so with a skyward looking approach.