A 1936 blockbuster epic that became the lowest-rated Best Picture nominee in history
In short: Warner Bros. spent over a million dollars on the 1936 adaptation of Hervey Allen's novel, Anthony Adverse. While it was the studio's most popular release that year, modern critics have been harsh. Today, it holds the dubious distinction of being the lowest-rated Best Picture nominee on Rotten Tomatoes.
The 1936 film Anthony Adverse, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, was a massive undertaking for Warner Bros. Adapted from Hervey Allen's 1933 novel, the production featured a 250-page script and required over 1,000 camera set-ups. With a budget of $1,192,000, it was the studio's most expensive project of the year. Despite contemporary criticism from reviewers like Frank S. Nugent, who called it a rambling and disjointed photoplay, the film was a financial success, generating $1,558,000 in profits and earning $1,783,000 domestically.
The story follows the life of Anthony, an orphan who discovers his grandfather is a wealthy merchant. His journey spans three continents, touching on the Napoleonic era, the slave trade in Africa, and the opera houses of Europe. While the film won four Academy Awards—including the first-ever Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Gale Sondergaard—many critics argue the adaptation failed to capture the spiritual depth of the original novel. Reverend Austin Spencer noted that the film amputated the book's conclusion, denying the protagonist the redemption his creator intended, perhaps to avoid the perceived box-office risk of too much religious content.
The film's legacy is complex. It influenced the name of actor Tony Curtis, who was buried with a copy of the novel, and its score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold later inspired his violin concerto. Yet, its reputation has suffered over time. On Rotten Tomatoes, only 18% of critics view it positively, with an average rating of 4.3/10. Whether viewed as a grand historical epic or a sprawling, episodic failure, the production remains a significant, if polarizing, artifact of 1930s Hollywood ambition.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Anthony Adverse
- Also: Wikidata — Anthony Adverse · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Anthony Adverse · CC0
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