Emma
Directed by Clarence Brown
Written by Leonard Praskins and Zelda Sears; story by Frances Marion
1932/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Emma: You’ll get your feet wet, and forget to change your socks.[/box]
This would be just another treacly melodrama without the amazing, warm performance by Marie Dressler at its heart.
Emma (Dressler) is housekeeper to inventor Frederick Smith (Jean Herscholt) and his brood of three children. When his wife dies in childbirth of the youngest, Emma becomes a surrogate mother to all of them. One of Frederick’s inventions makes him rich and the oldest children grow up to be spoiled, selfish, snobs. The eldest Isabelle (Myrna Loy) marries a count and is the worst of them. The youngest, Ronnie (Richard Cromwell) truly loves Emma as well as flying planes.
After all the children are grown, Emma decides she can afford to take a vacation in Niagara Falls. One thing leads to another and Frederick decides to turn the vacation into a honeymoon. But their happiness is short-lived when he succumbs to the heart trouble that has plagued him for years. The eldest children are appalled to find that dad left all the money to be distributed by Emma and cook up a murder case against her.
This movie pulls at the old heart strings over and over. It never goes over the top though because Dressler keeps the central performance anchored in warm, real, humanity. She knows how to makes us love her without feeling manipulated. Recommended.
Marie Dressler was Oscar-nominated as Best Actress.
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