The Fight for Life was documentary filmmaker Pare Lorentz' first "dramatic" film, utilizing the talents of several top New York stage actors. A tribute to the Chicago Maternity Center and its efforts to provide the best possible care for destitute mothers, the film is based on the book of the same name by Paul de Kruif. Myron McCormick plays the largest role as a dedicated intern, while others in the cast include such theatrical heavywrights as Will Geer, Dudley Digges and Dorothy Adams. The film's many vignettes range from the tragic (a mother dying in childbirth in the opening scene) to the exultant (another mother rescued from the brink of death in a disease-ridden tenement). Filmed in Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, Fight for Life is a worthwhile effort, though Lorentz seems more comfortable with the "actuality" scenes than with the dramatized passages.
Credits
The Fight for Life Cast
| Name |
Character |
|
Myron McCormick
He was 32, 54 years old when he died
|
as Dr. O’Donnell |
|
Dudley Digges
He was 60, 68 years old when he died
|
as Chefarzt |
|
Will Geer
He was 37, 76 years old when he died
|
as Ballou |
|
Dorothy Adams
She was 40, 88 years old when she died
|
as The Young Woman |
|
Woody Guthrie
He was 27, 55 years old when he died
|
|
The Fight for Life Crew
| Name |
Department |
|
Pare Lorentz as Director. He was 34 (86) years old when He died
|
Directing |
