Peter Ibbetson

"Love... born in the simple hearts of children... loving gloriously... triumphant through the years!"

1935 1h 28m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

80%

FRESH

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 68🍅80%Rotten Tomatoes★6.9IMDB · 2,890

DramaFantasyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When his mother dies, young Peter Ibbetson leaves Paris and his best friend, Mary, behind to live with a severe uncle in England. Years later, Peter is an architect with little time for women, until he begins a project with the Duke and Duchess of Towers. When Peter and the duchess become great friends, she reveals that she is Mary — but the duke soon suspects his wife of infidelity and challenges Peter to a duel, threatening the pair's second chance.

“Love... born in the simple hearts of children... loving gloriously... triumphant through the years!”

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Cast

Gary Cooper
Peter Ibbetson
Ann Harding
Mary, Duchess of Towers
John Halliday
The Duke of Towers
Ida Lupino
Agnes
Douglass Dumbrille
Colonel Forsythe
Virginia Weidler
Mimsey
Dickie Moore
Gogo
Doris Lloyd
Mrs. Dorian

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Henry Hathaway
Writers: Vincent Lawrence, Waldemar Young
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

91 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Henry Hathaway, shot by Charles Lang. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hugo Friedhofer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stuart Heisler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gary Cooper and Ann Harding and John Halliday carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Love... born in the simple hearts of children... loving gloriously... triumphant through the years!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Henry Hathaway directs. Charles Lang behind the camera. Hugo Friedhofer scores. Stuart Heisler cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
291 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
4Directed by Henry Hathaway, shot by Charles Lang. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Hugo Friedhofer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Stuart Heisler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Gary Cooper and Ann Harding and John Halliday carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Love... born in the simple hearts of children... loving gloriously... triumphant through the years!".
9IMDB entry: tt0026866 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 68 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Charles Lang
Original score: Hugo Friedhofer
Editing: Stuart Heisler
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Peter Ibbetson (1935)
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 2,890 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 1 nomination total

Also by

Henry Hathaway

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-19
★ 6/10
Gary Cooper proves that there is a great deal more to his acting than spurs and saddles in this adaptation of George Du Maurier's fantasy drama. He portrays the eponymous character who after many years as a youth of dithering (Act 1), becomes an architect who lands a plum job refurbishing the stables on the estate of the wealthy "Duke of Towers" (John Holiday) (Act 2). After a fairly frosty start, he and the "Duchess" (Ann Harding) fall in love, a relationship of which the Duke is not entirely unaware. An altercation ensues, the "Duke" is killed and "Ibbetson" is jailed for the crime. What follows next (Act 3) is an ethereal intrigue as they live what's left of their lives as though joined in a dream. The score and direction provide for an atmospheric, romantic and quirky story that is still worth a watch 85 years on.

Production companies