A tidbit on IMDB's 'Trivia' page says that for years, when there was a movie marquee in a Warner Brother's film, the film playing was called 'Another Dawn' so they finally decided to make a film called that. They also decided to get another film out of the impressive fort they'd built for "The Charge of the Light Brigade' and out of the now-forgotten Kay Francis, who said "I don't do much in it. Things just happen about me. I am just a wife who has been unfortunate in love, as usual." They also recycled part of the plot from 'Charge' by having Flynn heroically go on a suicide mission so Francis, with whom he is having a love affair, can stay with her husband, his commanding officer. But Flynn had become such a big star they changed their minds and had the Colonel, (played by Ian Hunter), go off in his stead, allowing Flynn and Francis to live happily ever after, assuming they don't fall for somebody else.
Other than that last-minute change, this is the most predictable movie of all time. From early on, you know exactly what is going to happen to each character and often in the next scene. Herbert Mundin ahs been branded a coward by his fellow soldiers. He heroically sacrifices his life to get them the ammunition they need to save their lives. Imagine that...
The film was clearly done on the cheap as the climactic sacrifice by the colonel is unrepresented except by a dispatch. Flynn is also shown dressing for a party that we hardly see. Contrast that to the scenes in the 'Charge'. Originally, the locale was supposed to be Iraq but here it's called, improbably "Dickit". The Colonel waxes poetic about the benign British empire" I see great wealth and an independent nation because England had faith in it". 'Classicsoncall' has pointed out that the poetic dialog doesn't bear close examination by fans of logic. There's some action but not a patch on 'Charge' or rest of Flynn's great films. The one laudable thing about the film is the excellent music by Korngold, who combined it with his score from 'The Prince and the Pauper' to create his marvelous piano concerto. But here the music is so go and the film so mediocre that the music overpowers the action rather than highlighting it or deepening the emotions it produces.
Other than that last-minute change, this is the most predictable movie of all time. From early on, you know exactly what is going to happen to each character and often in the next scene. Herbert Mundin ahs been branded a coward by his fellow soldiers. He heroically sacrifices his life to get them the ammunition they need to save their lives. Imagine that...
The film was clearly done on the cheap as the climactic sacrifice by the colonel is unrepresented except by a dispatch. Flynn is also shown dressing for a party that we hardly see. Contrast that to the scenes in the 'Charge'. Originally, the locale was supposed to be Iraq but here it's called, improbably "Dickit". The Colonel waxes poetic about the benign British empire" I see great wealth and an independent nation because England had faith in it". 'Classicsoncall' has pointed out that the poetic dialog doesn't bear close examination by fans of logic. There's some action but not a patch on 'Charge' or rest of Flynn's great films. The one laudable thing about the film is the excellent music by Korngold, who combined it with his score from 'The Prince and the Pauper' to create his marvelous piano concerto. But here the music is so go and the film so mediocre that the music overpowers the action rather than highlighting it or deepening the emotions it produces.