The Story of This Above All
This Above All follows Prudence Cathaway, an aristocratic young woman who shocks her snobbish parents by enlisting in the Women's Auxiliary Force during wartime England. It's 1940, and the country is bracing for invasion. Prudence finds purpose in uniform, escaping the suffocating expectations of her upper-class family. She meets Clive Briggs, a brooding soldier with a chip on his shoulder about privilege and class — and they fall hard for each other. What begins as a romance between two people from opposite worlds becomes something far more complicated when Prudence discovers that Clive has gone AWOL following the disaster at Dunkirk. Their week together at a Dover hotel becomes a test of whether love can survive the clash between personal desire and national duty.
Behind the Making of This Above All
Director Anatole Litvak brought this wartime drama to the screen based on Eric Knight's 1941 novel, adapting the source material for 20th Century Fox during a moment when American audiences were deeply invested in British resilience. The film reunited two of Hollywood's biggest stars: Tyrone Power, who'd established himself as both a romantic lead and serious actor, and Joan Fontaine, fresh off her Oscar-winning success in Suspicion. The supporting ensemble was equally formidable — Thomas Mitchell, Nigel Bruce, and Gladys Cooper brought weight to what could have been stock wartime roles. Released in 1942, the film arrived when American entry into the war was still fresh, making its themes of sacrifice and duty resonate with contemporary audiences. Movie OTT now tracks where you can revisit this piece of studio-era cinema, though it's worth noting that wartime dramas of this vintage don't always age evenly — some feel dated, while others, like this one, still carry emotional punch. The runtime clocks in at 110 minutes, giving Litvak room to develop both the romance and the moral crisis at the film's core without rushing.
What Makes This Above All Stand Out
What's striking about This Above All is how it refuses to let either Prudence or Clive off the hook morally. She's not just a posh girl slumming it with a working-class soldier; he's not just a noble rebel. Both are trapped — she by her family's expectations and social position, he by his own anger and his inability to reconcile his conscience with military duty. The film doesn't shy away from the ugliness of class resentment, and that friction makes their romance feel earned rather than inevitable. Tyrone Power plays Clive with real bitterness; there's no charm to sand down his edges. Fontaine, meanwhile, brings intelligence and quiet determination to Prudence — she's not waiting to be saved. The thing nobody mentions is that this is fundamentally a film about whether you can love someone and still believe they're wrong, and whether love itself is enough to bridge that gap.
The performances anchor what could have been a melodramatic premise. Power's Clive carries the weight of Dunkirk in his shoulders — you feel the trauma, the disillusionment. Fontaine's Prudence has to convince us that she'd throw away her entire world for this man, and she does it through subtle shifts in her eyes rather than grand gestures. The supporting cast, particularly Nigel Bruce as a fellow officer, grounds the military scenes with authenticity. Critics at the time recognized the quality of the ensemble work, though the film's box office performance was respectable rather than spectacular — wartime dramas were crowded territory in 1942, and not every well-made picture found its full audience in theaters.
Where to Stream This Above All Online
This Above All is available on major OTT services, and if you're hunting for where to watch it, the "Where to Watch" widget at the top of this page will show you current availability across platforms in your region. Streaming rights for classic films can shift, so it's worth checking there first rather than guessing. What's useful about Movie OTT is that it aggregates this information in real time — you won't waste ten minutes clicking through apps only to find out the title's been pulled. The 110-minute runtime makes it a reasonable commitment for an evening, and the film's pacing moves briskly enough that you won't find yourself checking your phone.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed This Above All?
Anatole Litvak directed the film. Litvak was known for his sophisticated handling of character-driven dramas, and his direction here balances the romance with the moral weight of wartime sacrifice without letting either element overwhelm the other.
Q: Is This Above All based on a book?
Yes. The film is adapted from Eric Knight's 1941 novel of the same name. Knight's source material provided the foundation for the class conflict and romantic tension that drive the narrative.
Q: What year was This Above All released?
The film came out in 1942, during America's first year in World War II, which gave its themes of duty and sacrifice immediate cultural resonance with audiences at the time.
Q: Where can I watch This Above All?
You can find current streaming options listed in the "Where to Watch" widget at the top of this page. Availability varies by region and changes over time, so check there for the most up-to-date information.
Q: What's the runtime of This Above All?
The film runs 110 minutes, giving director Anatole Litvak enough time to develop both the romance between the leads and the moral complexity of Clive's desertion without feeling rushed.
Final Thoughts on This Above All
This Above All isn't a perfect film — the ending can feel abrupt, and some of the supporting characters exist mainly to move the plot forward. But it's a serious, thoughtful wartime drama that doesn't treat its audience like children. The chemistry between Power and Fontaine feels genuine, their conflict feels earned, and the film's central question — whether love can survive when two people's values fundamentally clash — still lands. If you're looking for classic Hollywood cinema that actually engages with moral ambiguity rather than wrapping everything up in a neat bow, this one's worth your time.
