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The Citadel

  • 19381938
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Citadel (1938)
Official Trailer
Play trailer4:35
1 Video
19 Photos
  • Drama

An enthusiastic young doctor happily embarks on his career, but it isn't long before he finds out what being a doctor really entails.An enthusiastic young doctor happily embarks on his career, but it isn't long before he finds out what being a doctor really entails.An enthusiastic young doctor happily embarks on his career, but it isn't long before he finds out what being a doctor really entails.

IMDb RATING
7.1/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • King Vidor
  • Writers
    • Ian Dalrymple(screen play)
    • Frank Wead(screen play)
    • Elizabeth Hill(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Robert Donat
    • Rosalind Russell
    • Ralph Richardson
Top credits
  • Director
    • King Vidor
  • Writers
    • Ian Dalrymple(screen play)
    • Frank Wead(screen play)
    • Elizabeth Hill(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Robert Donat
    • Rosalind Russell
    • Ralph Richardson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 37User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 5 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Citadel
    Trailer 4:35
    The Citadel

    Photos19

    The Citadel (1938)
    The Citadel (1938)
    The Citadel (1938)
    Robert Donat in The Citadel (1938)
    Robert Donat and Ralph Richardson in The Citadel (1938)
    Robert Donat and Rosalind Russell in The Citadel (1938)
    Robert Donat in The Citadel (1938)
    Ralph Richardson in The Citadel (1938)
    Robert Donat and Rosalind Russell in The Citadel (1938)
    Robert Donat and Rosalind Russell in The Citadel (1938)
    The Citadel (1938)
    The Citadel (1938)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robert Donat
    Robert Donat
    • Andrew Mansonas Andrew Manson
    Rosalind Russell
    Rosalind Russell
    • Christineas Christine
    Ralph Richardson
    Ralph Richardson
    • Dennyas Denny
    Rex Harrison
    Rex Harrison
    • Dr. Lawfordas Dr. Lawford
    Emlyn Williams
    Emlyn Williams
    • Owenas Owen
    Penelope Dudley-Ward
    Penelope Dudley-Ward
    • Toppy LeRoyas Toppy LeRoy
    • (as Penelope Dudley Ward)
    Francis L. Sullivan
    Francis L. Sullivan
    • Ben Chenkinas Ben Chenkin
    • (as Francis Sullivan)
    Mary Clare
    Mary Clare
    • Mrs. Orlandoas Mrs. Orlando
    Cecil Parker
    Cecil Parker
    • Charles Everyas Charles Every
    Nora Swinburne
    Nora Swinburne
    • Mrs. Thorntonas Mrs. Thornton
    Edward Chapman
    Edward Chapman
    • Joe Morganas Joe Morgan
    Athene Seyler
    Athene Seyler
    • Lady Raebankas Lady Raebank
    Felix Aylmer
    Felix Aylmer
    • Mr. Boonas Mr. Boon
    Joyce Bland
    • Nurse Sharpas Nurse Sharp
    Percy Parsons
    Percy Parsons
    • Mr. Stillmanas Mr. Stillman
    Dilys Davies
    • Mrs. Pageas Mrs. Page
    Basil Gill
    Basil Gill
    • Doctor Pageas Doctor Page
    Joss Ambler
    Joss Ambler
    • Dr. A.H. Llewellynas Dr. A.H. Llewellyn
    • Director
      • King Vidor
    • Writers
      • Ian Dalrymple(screen play)
      • Frank Wead(screen play)
      • Elizabeth Hill(screen play)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Andrew Manson (Robert Donat), a young, enthusiastic doctor takes his first job in a Welsh mining town, and begins to wonder at the persistent cough many of the miners have. When his attempts to prove its cause are thwarted, he moves to London. His new practice does badly. But when a friend shows him how to make a lucrative practice from rich hypochondriacs, it will take a great shock to show him what the truth of being a doctor really is. —Kathy Li
    • lunch
    • slap
    • hysteria
    • nursing home
    • mink stole
    • 106 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Great Novel NOW Powerful Drama!
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • Passed
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Elizabeth Allan was announced as leading lady, and sued M.G.M. when she was replaced by Rosalind Russell.
    • Goofs
      When Andrew examines Christine's throat, he sits in front of a light that is supposedly reflected into Christine's mouth by his eyepiece. We see this from over Andrew's shoulder, and when the light is directed into her mouth, it is clearly coming from behind Andrew, because the back of his eyepiece is illuminated.
    • Quotes

      Christine Barlow Manson: Andrew, Do you remember once telling me that a all good research man needed was a notebook, a microscope and a room with a roof over it?

    • Crazy credits
      This motion picture is a story of individual characterizations and is in no way intended as a reflection on the great medical profession which has done so much towards beating back those forces of nature that retard the physical progress of the human race.
    • Alternate versions
      Also shown in computer colorized version.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Ultimate Film (2004)

    User reviews37

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Breaching the Citadel
    The Citadel is a fine and inspirational film about a dedicated young doctor and the hardships he has to overcome to see his destiny and move to fulfill it. A lot of the same ground was covered before in Arrowsmith and would be covered again in Not As A Stranger and then in over a dozen or more medical drama shows on television. Stories about medicine and its practice is a genre we will never tire of.

    Robert Donat plays the idealistic young doctor who is assigned a number of positions in Great Britain and the story is how he deals with the various situations he encounters. Along the way he picks up a wife in the person of Rosalind Russell.

    For an American to review this film probably one should have a knowledge of the British health system and remember this would have been before the days of the current health system of socialized medicine. That system was put in before the post World War II Labour government changed things.

    One of his assignments is a coalmining area in Wales and Donat because of his own integrity and commitment manages to make a whole bunch of enemies and has to leave. His assignment is in what might be described as an HMO run by the coal miner's union. He starts doing research in a chronic cough he notices several of the miners have and upsets a whole lot of applecarts both with labor and management. He also isn't so easy with giving sick slips to malingering workers and they don't come to his defense. Not easy at times to be an idealist.

    For a while Donat takes an easy road in a wealthy sanitarium that caters to upper class hypochondriacs. Doctors Felix Aylmer and Rex Harrison are getting rich themselves off them. But eventually Donat finds his true calling in research.

    Rosalind Russell said that working with Donat was a pleasure, but the film itself wasn't. She and Director King Vidor were the only Americans in this film and she and Vidor took a lot of criticism for taking jobs away from British players. Not like she had anything to say about it, MGM loaned her out there. Still she did her job without a trace of a British accent.

    Besides Aylmer and Harrison other noteworthy British players in the cast are Emlyn Williams and Francis L. Sullivan. Williams is one of the local union heads and Sullivan is a blustering boorish lout of a miner who leads the opposition to Donat's research. All of them do fine jobs and Harrison got his first real notice by American audiences in his role.

    Because for two generations we Americans have been awash with medical dramas all these situations seem all to familiar to us. That's a jaded point of view. The Citadel is a fine drama and worth seeing.
    helpful•28
    2
    • bkoganbing
    • Dec 9, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 29, 1938 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Die Zitadelle
    • Filming locations
      • Abertillery, Blaenau Gwent, Wales, UK
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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