Anthony Adverse

A triumph of grand scale and a nominee for the prized Best Picture Oscar , Anthony Adverse is Hollywood moviemaking at its most glorious. This Mervyn LeRoy film won four Oscars for its magnificent cinematography, its deft editing, Erich Wolfgang Korngold's original music score and Gale Sondergaard's brilliant performance, which won her the first Best Supporting Actress Oscar ever awarded. The story traces the struggles of its hero (Fredric March) to claim a rightful inheritance in spite of his illegitimate birth. From his swashbuckling travels to his final departure for the New World, he is forced to overcome the scheming of Don Luis (Claude Rains) and Faith (Sondergaard), who aim to destroy him. Adding to his misery is the fact that, while he is away, his beloved Angela (de Havilland), mother to his son, becomes a glamorous opera star -- and Napoleon's mistress. Anthony Adverse is magnificent entertainment -- passionate, grand in scope and unforgettable.