The Divided Heart
Encyclopedia
The Divided Heart is a black-and-white
British film directed by Charles Crichton
and released in 1954. The film is a drama, based on a true story and written by Jack Whittingham
and Richard Hughes
. It was produced by Michael Truman
and edited by Peter Bezencenet, with cinematography by Otto Heller
and music by Georges Auric
. The Divided Heart was widely admired, and won three British Academy Film Awards
.
, a three year-old boy is found wandering alone in Germany. No family can be traced, and it is presumed that his parents and siblings have been casualties of war. The child is placed in an orphanage, from where he is subsequently adopted by a childless couple, who he grows to love and accept as his parents. When the boy is 10 years old, his natural mother is found alive in Yugoslavia where she has survived the war as a refugee. She returns to Germany to claim her child, having lost her husband and two other children in the war. The film focuses on the moral dilemma of the situation: should the child remain with the adoptive parents who have given him a loving and happy home, or be returned to his natural mother who has lost everything else, and to what extent should the child's own wishes be taken into account? The case is finally referred to a three-man court, who will decide the child's future.
wrote: "This is a bleak, heart-rending problem, as it is finely presented in this film with exceptionally sensitive understanding and scrupulous integrity. And the fact that it cannot be unraveled to the satisfaction of all...is simply an indication that a happy solution is beyond the power of a man as wise as Solomon—or even the author of the script—to hit upon."
The Divided Heart was nominated in six categories at the 1955 British Academy Film Awards
and won three, with Mitchell being named Best British Actress
and Borchers picking up the Best Foreign Actress
award. Separate awards for British and foreign actresses were given between 1952 and 1967 (after which they were combined into one Beat Actress award), and this was the only year in which both awards were won by actresses from the same film. The film also won the UN Award. It also received nominations in the Best Film and Best British Film categories, and Whittingham was nominated for Best British Screenplay. In the U.S., The Divided Heart was named among the top 5 foreign films at the 1955 National Board of Review Awards
.
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
British film directed by Charles Crichton
Charles Crichton
Charles Crichton was an English film director and film editor. He became best known for directing comedies produced at Ealing Studios...
and released in 1954. The film is a drama, based on a true story and written by Jack Whittingham
Jack Whittingham
Jack Whittingham was a British playwright, film critic, and screenwriter. He was educated at Charterhouse and Christ Church, Oxford....
and Richard Hughes
Richard Hughes (writer)
Richard Arthur Warren Hughes OBE was a British writer of poems, short stories, novels and plays.He was born in Weybridge, Surrey. His father was a civil servant Arthur Hughes, and his mother Louisa Grace Warren who had been brought up in Jamaica...
. It was produced by Michael Truman
Michael Truman
Michael Truman was a British film producer, director and editor.Educated at London University, he worked for Ealing Studios editing such films as It Always Rains on Sunday and Passport to Pimlico and latterly as producer of films like The Titfield Thunderbolt...
and edited by Peter Bezencenet, with cinematography by Otto Heller
Otto Heller
Otto Heller, B.S.C. was a Czech cinematographer. He worked on almost 200 films, including the Ealing comedy The Ladykillers and the thriller Peeping Tom....
and music by Georges Auric
Georges Auric
Georges Auric was a French composer, born in Lodève, Hérault. He was a child prodigy and at age 15 he had his first compositions published. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Georges Caussade, and under the composer Vincent d'Indy at the Schola Cantorum...
. The Divided Heart was widely admired, and won three British Academy Film Awards
British Academy Film Awards
The British Academy Film Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . It is the British counterpart of the Oscars. As of 2008, it has taken place in the Royal Opera House, having taken over from the flagship Odeon cinema on Leicester Square...
.
Plot
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a three year-old boy is found wandering alone in Germany. No family can be traced, and it is presumed that his parents and siblings have been casualties of war. The child is placed in an orphanage, from where he is subsequently adopted by a childless couple, who he grows to love and accept as his parents. When the boy is 10 years old, his natural mother is found alive in Yugoslavia where she has survived the war as a refugee. She returns to Germany to claim her child, having lost her husband and two other children in the war. The film focuses on the moral dilemma of the situation: should the child remain with the adoptive parents who have given him a loving and happy home, or be returned to his natural mother who has lost everything else, and to what extent should the child's own wishes be taken into account? The case is finally referred to a three-man court, who will decide the child's future.
Cast
- Cornell BorchersCornell BorchersCornell Borchers is a German actress, active in the late 1940s and 1950s, who starred along with Errol Flynn and Nat King Cole in the film Istanbul .-Biography:...
as Inga - Yvonne MitchellYvonne MitchellYvonne Mitchell was an English stage, television and film actor. She was born Yvonne Frances Joseph, but in 1946 changed her name by deed poll to Yvonne Mitchell . Her mother's maiden name was Mitchell. After beginning her acting career in theatre, Mitchell progressed to films in the late 1940s...
as Sonja - Armin Dahlen as Franz
- Alexander KnoxAlexander KnoxAlexander Knox was a Canadian actor and author of adventure novels set in the Great Lakes area during the 19th century.-Biography:...
as Chief Justice - Geoffrey KeenGeoffrey KeenGeoffrey Keen was an English actor who appeared in supporting roles in many famous films.-Early life:Keen was born in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England, the son of stage actor Malcolm Keen. He was educated at Bristol Grammar School. He then joined the Little Repertory Theatre in Bristol for whom...
as Marks - Liam RedmondLiam RedmondLiam Redmond was an Irish actor known for his stage, film and television roles.-Early life:Redmond was one of four children born to carpenter Thomas and Eileen Redmond...
as First Justice - Eddie ByrneEddie ByrneEddie Byrne was an Irish actor. Outside Ireland he is probably best known for his minor role as General Vanden Willard in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but fans of cult sci-fi might also remember him as the skeptical Inspector Mulrooney in The Mummy and as the kindly Dr. Reginald Landers in...
as Second Justice - Theodore BikelTheodore BikelTheodore Meir Bikel is a character actor, folk singer and musician. He made his film debut in The African Queen and was nominated for an Academy award for his supporting role as Sheriff Max Muller in The Defiant Ones ....
as Josip - Pamela Stirling as Mlle. Poncet
- Martin Keller as Toni (aged 3)
- Michel Ray as Toni (aged 10)
- Martin StephensMartin Stephens (actor)Martin Stephens is an English former child actor, best known for his performances in the films Village of the Damned and The Innocents...
as Hans
Reception and awards
The Divided Heart was a popular and critical success, being highly praised for its sensitivity, emotional impact and the even-handedness with which it dealt with its subject matter. While noting that the film's ending reportedly left many viewers feeling disappointed and let down, critics conceded that it would have been impossible for a storyline of this nature to reach a conclusion which pleased everyone. In a contemporary review in the New York Times, noted critic Bosley CrowtherBosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
wrote: "This is a bleak, heart-rending problem, as it is finely presented in this film with exceptionally sensitive understanding and scrupulous integrity. And the fact that it cannot be unraveled to the satisfaction of all...is simply an indication that a happy solution is beyond the power of a man as wise as Solomon—or even the author of the script—to hit upon."
The Divided Heart was nominated in six categories at the 1955 British Academy Film Awards
8th British Academy Film Awards
The 8th British Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1955, honored the best films of 1954.-Best Film: Le Salaire de la peur *The Caine Mutiny*Carrington V.C.*The Divided Heart...
and won three, with Mitchell being named Best British Actress
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :...
and Borchers picking up the Best Foreign Actress
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :...
award. Separate awards for British and foreign actresses were given between 1952 and 1967 (after which they were combined into one Beat Actress award), and this was the only year in which both awards were won by actresses from the same film. The film also won the UN Award. It also received nominations in the Best Film and Best British Film categories, and Whittingham was nominated for Best British Screenplay. In the U.S., The Divided Heart was named among the top 5 foreign films at the 1955 National Board of Review Awards
National Board of Review Awards 1955
- Top Ten Films :#Marty#East of Eden#Mister Roberts#Bad Day at Black Rock#Summertime#The Rose Tattoo#A Man Called Peter#Not as a Stranger#Picnic#The African Lion- Top Foreign Films :#The Prisoner...
.