S P O I L E R N O T I N T E N D E D - But is important when describing the ultimate meaning of this entertaining and ultimately poignant film. I first watched this outstanding film on TV when I was very young growing up in the 60's. Though I had seen many dramatic films, I had never seen one that affected me so emotionally! It stayed with me through the years and I did recall the pathetic soldier who eventually finds peace and love in the crisis of his imminent death.A question remained with me over the years - Did the lovely and gallant Nurse Parker really fall in love with Lachy, or was she playing up out of pity?. We can see that she is about to cry when he proposes marriage to her. "What am I to do?" she quietly asks herself as Lachy hurries to inform his new friends that he is in love with Nurse Parker and she has accepted his marriage proposal! Just a week ago or so a friend asked me if I had the film. In copying The Hasty Heart for her I was reminded of it and recalled that I had liked it years ago. Needless to say, I was struck by the same feelings when viewing the film some 40 years later.Here were a group of soldiers in Burma that are preparing to go home. Ronald Reagan is one of these men who keeps his morale up by being friends with the other soldiers, including a mute fellow comrade. Nurse Parker, a lovely and empathic nurse presides over the barracks and is asked to introduce a new soldier to the men going home soon. He is being shipped there briefly, as he will die soon. She becomes aware of a medical secret concerning this man; he has two to three weeks at most to live as he got shrapnel in one kidney and his bad kidney is forced to function - for a brief time. Nurse Parker asks that the other soldiers befriend "Lachy" and mentions that he is from Scotland. The Captain had asked her to keep Lachy's condition a secret from him, but to reveal the truth to his fellow soldiers in confidence.At first Lachy is defensive and unfriendly. Little by little it is revealed that he had never had a friend before. His initial rudeness nearly ruins his chances of having friends at the barracks. (They all keep the secret of Lachy's medical crisis).Ronald Reagan's character helps "the thawing out process" of this new man and the men all chip in to give him a Scottish kilt as a gift.. At first he suspects the others of making fun of him and even Nurse Parker of "wangling" a marriage proposal from him.. She is surprised but unruffled. After a few ups and downs Lachy apologizes and wants to join the other men and to gain their friendship. He is soon included in their pictures, makes friends with all of them and comes to love Nurse Parker. After a few days he decides to propose marriage to the nurse and she accepts. (In a moment of personal crisis she says: "What am I to do?") We see that she is deeply affected by Blachy's proposal and medical crisis.When Lachy is finally told by the kindly Captain that he has a short time to live, he is very angry and bitter about Nurse Parker and the other men keeping his health crisis a secret. He turns away from them all and will not speak to the nurse he has grown to love in a short time. (He even spurns a friendly (but mute) black soldier who had handed him a gift. Ronald Reagan reacts angrily and says he can't talk and was trying to be his friend. Lachy is apologetic and is nice to Blossom again.When they are packing Lachy up to fly home to Scotland Nurse Parker approaches and he bitterly cries and says she feels only pity. A meaningful responsive statement ensues here:"Oh, Lachy, don't you know that any woman would feel pity!" And she looks at him meaningfully. Now I am a hopeless romantic admittedly, but it did occur to me that maybe Nurse Parker had another secret; her "Hasty Heart" was beating fast in gradual response to Lachy and it was not only pity she felt?.So the poignant story ends with a sad pathos; our tragic young soldier of 24 will die soon, but he has learned about real friendship in a short time and Love. He decides to be their friend again and poses for pictures as one man laughingly "steals" his kilt.I rated the film a 9, as Blossom is not portrayed like the other soldiers; intelligent and interactive. Instead, we see that he is mute and cannot understand English. (It is not clear, but maybe he had been from Burma or Jamaica and had never learned English). One thing is inherently certain, though. Our mute soldier understands the real meaning of friendships as well as all of the others. Orlando Martins gave afine performance as 'Blossom'...

Amazing film about a man, used to being and surviving on his own, is dying and does not know it. The other patients in the ward know and try to be his friends, as difficult as he makes it.I thought each one's performance was amazing and moving. You could feel the nurse's indecision when Lachie, the dying man, asks her significant questions about the future.Besides Richard Todd's performance, which truly should have won an Academy Award, was the performance by Ronald Reagan. He was quite the man and quite the actor. Quoting the books of the Bible when he lost his temper was super and makes one think that is a very good idea - but to do it quietly. (wink) A final scene with both actors nose to nose gave a completion to the film as well as the final act between them before getting their photograph taken.Some suggest that it should not end on a whimsical note and I heartily disagree. It ended just perfectly. There was no need for a long drawn out scene of death or dying on any of the characters' roles. It ended as it had begun, men surviving the after effects of the horrible war and finding humor and fun where they could.Good show!

Most of the ground has already been covered. I would add that, for 1949, the script was Liberal by American standards. The African ( played by a Nigerian not a South African as in the script ) is sharing a military ward with the whites. The dialogue reveals an admiration for the black South Africans who save up their pay for a whole year - whereas the whites were liable to blow their earnings on a drunken binge! Also worthy of note was that this was the first time that Ronald Reagan worked in a Socialist country for any length of time. 1949 London was dreary, struggling place. His experience of the impracticality of Socialist policies being implemented was burned into his mind. As they say, the rest is history!

I came back from work one day and this old Black and white movie was on TV Damn, Black and White ??? and i had spent a fortune on my Dolby system, after flicking through the channels i came back to it, something about the main character caught my attention (Cpl. Lachlan "Lachie" MacLachlan) he was rude, obnoxious scaving and although he acted very tough he appeared to be very very lonely. For the next hour and a half i was hooked. Its a story about people (as simple as that) how they get along , how they dont get along its a very human story, no special effects, no twisting plots just a warm hearted story that you will come away from feeling better with the world. This is one of those Sunday afternoon movies you could easily flick past like i almost did. If you ever see it advertised take time out to watch it, it will make you cry and laugh all in the same scene. Take time to watch it........Highly recomended s c...