Daily Archives: July 22, 2013

Dodsworth (1936)

DodsworthDodsworth Poster
Directed by William Wyler
1936/USA
The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Repeat viewing
#101 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

 

Sam Dodsworth: Love has got to stop some place short of suicide.

This intelligent drama is one of my favorite movies of any time.  I always forget just how much I love it until I see it again.

Sam Dodsworth (Walter Huston) has made a fortune as an automobile tycoon.  He retires and his somewhat younger wife Fran (Ruth Chatterton) has her heart set on beginning life over on a long European holiday.  Sam plunges into playing tourist but Fran is more interested in putting on airs, hobnobbing with people she thinks are “society”, and proving her continued desirability to men.  Sam loves Fran dearly but clearly this state of affairs cannot continue indefinitely.  When Fran decides to throw in with a young Austrian baron, Sam finds solace with expatriate Edith Cortright (Mary Astor).  With Maria Ouspenskaya as the baron’s mother and David Niven and Paul Lukas as two of Fran’s “conquests.”

Dodsworth 1

This is a fairly straightforward domestic drama but it is richly rewarding.  There is an undercurrent that explores the differences between manners in the Old and New Worlds, with the New World coming off pretty well for a change.  It is also one of the few movies of the Golden Age to explore the breakdown of a long marriage.  The acting is all brilliant.  I don’t think Ruth Chatterton gets enough credit.  Her role is unsympathetic and fairly ridiculous. It must have been difficult to play a deluded woman past her prime but she gave it her all.  I don’t think Mary Astor was ever more beautiful than in this picture.  I always root for her Edith — she is so smart and sensible.  Highly recommended.

Dodsworth was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, and won for Best Art Direction.  In 1990, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.


Clip

Camille (1936)

Camille
Directed by George Cukor
1936/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

First viewing
#99 of 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die

 

[box] Marguerite: When one may not have long to live, why shouldn’t one have fancies?[/box]

I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this but it won me over almost immediately.  I wonder whether Garbo was ever lovelier or more appealing than in MGM’s glossy adaptation of the La Traviata story.

Marguerite Gautier (Greta Garbo) is a carefree Parisian courtesan, trading on her beauty to live an extravagant lifestyle between bouts of consumption.  One night at the theater, dressmaker Prudence (Laura Hope Crewes – Aunt Pittipat in Gone with the Wind) introduces her to fabulously wealthy Baron de Varville (Alan Mowbray) who can keep her well supplied with gowns and jewels.  At the same time, Marguerite is coincidentally introduced to Armand (Robert Taylor), an adoring young lawyer.  Marguerite starts a liaison with the Baron but her path crosses that of Armand repeatedly.  Finally, Marguerite falls hopelessly in love with Armand and accompanies him for some idyllic weeks in the country.  She must decide between Armand’s long-term prospects and her own happiness when Armand’s father (Lionel Barrymore) comes to beg her to leave his son.  With Jessie Ralph as Marguerite’s faithful maid.

 I am often quite resistant to Garbo’s acting but she captivated me here.  The gorgeous gowns only accentuated her stunning beauty and her smile was all the acting chops she really needed.  This movie also benefitted by an outstanding supporting cast, lavish set decoration, and beautiful score.  I think if the leading man had been a tad bit more sympatico – not that Taylor was bad – this film would have been just about perfect for the type of film it is.  As it was, I had tears in my eyes at the end.  Quite an achievement for Cukor.

Clip – second meeting