A Man to Remember

After this film was preserved several years ago by the Nederlands Filmmuseum, this year it became apparent that it was the only surviving copy of A Man to Remember, a film by writer, musician, comedian and theatre director Garson Kanin who finally managed to realise his ambition to make a film despite the fact that the world was in the middle of a giant slump. The fact that this film was as good as lost is even more remarkable because many copies were made and it received good reviews. A Man to Remember is still worth watching, if only because of the very fluent narrative style, the clever screenplay by Dalton Trumbo, the superb leading role by Edward Ellis and the topicality of the theme.
The film looks at the life of a country doctor in the form of a flashback after his own funeral. When Abbott arrives after the First World War in the small village of Westport, he starts a far-from-exciting and even less valued general practice. His honesty and dignity have to confront the vultures and indifferent types who rule the roost in his community. Behind the scenes, Abbott fights a one-man’s battle against corrupt politicians. It is only due to his efforts during the threat of a polio epidemic that he finally receives the respect he deserves.
Despite being made on a modest budget and regarded as a B-film, the film did give its director a future: Kanin was to make countless successful documentaries and features after this film. (EH)