Jane worries because Robert has joined the City of London Imperial Volunteers (CIV) as an officer, and will soon be leaving to serve in the Second Boer War.

Alfred announces that he has bought his own pub with money partly provided by Robert, and he and Ellen will be leaving service and moving to a flat.

As the downstairs staff have a cup of tea to celebrate Alfred's return, they receive news of the death of Queen Victoria.

Ellen plans a genteel social evening when Jane Marryot and her son Edward, who is now in college at Oxford, pay a visit to the Bridgeses' flat.

Fox Movietone newsreel cameramen were sent to London to record the original stage production as a guide for the film adaptation.

Fox production head Winfield Sheehan decided to use a British director due to the film's setting, and Frank Lloyd was brought on board.

Fox president Sidney Kent was quoted saying the mild profanity "could not offend any person; and, after all, that was the real purpose of the Code.

"[3] The precedent was codified by the Hays Office six years later, in advance of the release of Gone with the Wind, which features the most famous use of "damn" in an early American film.

[3] In addition to several original compositions by Coward, more than fifty popular songs, national anthems, hymns, ballads, and topical tunes relevant to the years portrayed were used in the film.

[7] Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times called the film "most affecting and impressive" and added, "In all its scenes there is a meticulous attention to detail, not only in the settings ... but also in the selection of players ...

The site's consensus reads: "Though solidly acted and pleasant to look at, Cavalcade lacks cohesion, and sacrifices true emotion for mawkishness.

"[11] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[21][22] As of May 2019[update], these are the only official home video releases of Cavalcade anywhere, though several bootlegs are available, most notably a poor-quality DVD and BD-R from Spain.