THE HASTY HEART (1949)

At a military hospital camp in Burma in 1945, the soldiers have just learned that the war is over. Most are excited to be going home, but one group of men is stuck there a while longer while they recover. The group (with men from England, Africa, Australia and New Zealand) is joined by a Scottish soldier, Lachie McLachlen (Richard Todd), complete with bagpipes. But he is a sullen one—in addition to being someone who hates small talk and, by his own admission, has no friends, he is upset that he is being kept in Burma even though his back wound has healed. What the doctors haven't told him is that he lost one kidney, and his other one is defective and will soon give out on him: he only has a few weeks to live. Margaret, the nurse (Patricia Neal, pictured with Todd), knows his situation and tells his roommates, asking them to accept Lachie and help make his last days bright. But Lachie remains unfriendly and combative, ready to get angry over any perceived slight. The Yank (Ronald Reagan), who is the unofficial leader of the group, has to work very hard not to punch Lachie in the face at times, but eventually, the men and the nurse get Lachie, who hasn't had a pleasant life, to accept their friendship. He even enjoys his surprise birthday party at which he receives a kilt, the first one he's ever had. Lachie owns a bit of land in Scotland and he tries, one by one, to talk the men into coming to live with him after they're released. He even stammers out a marriage proposal to Margaret, who has indeed come to feel an attachment to him. But after he collapses and learns the truth about his situation, he turns against everyone, feeling betrayed. Will anything cause Lachie to realize that these people have actually come to care about him?

This is based on a stage play and it shows, though it's been opened up a bit like THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER was, with an opening that sets up some context before settling into the single setting that dominates the rest of the picture. But it never feels static, and even if the general trajectory of the narrative is predictable, the writing and acting make it worth seeing. Todd is excellent as a man you love to hate—and eventually to pity and to warm to; sometimes you want to punch him and sometimes hug him. Though Lachie is in his mid-20s, this is basically an emotional coming-of-age story and Todd expresses Lachie's growth and backsliding very well. Ronald Reagan and Patricia Neal are top-billed, but this is Todd's movie all the way, and indeed he was nominated for an Oscar for best leading actor. The other soldiers are pretty much cultural stereotypes—and the African character, who speaks no English except the word "Blossom" which is what the men have named him, is less a real character than a climactic plot point. Ultimately, I found the movie charming and moving, and even humorous, with a running joke about what Scottish men wear under their kilts providing a kind of punch line for the film. Recommended. [TCM]