Strangers May Kiss
Directed by George Fitzmaurice
Written by Ursula Parrot from her novel
1931/US
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
IMDb page
First viewing/Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 8
Steve: There will always be a bottle of champagne, burning in the window.
This is one of several very similar and better films in which Norma Shearer defies convention in the name of love or revenge.
The setting is New York City among the upper classes. Lizbeth Corbin (Shearer) is madly in love with adventurer journalist Alan (Neil Hamilton). They aren’t in a hurry to get married. Her family wants her to marry Steve (Robert Mongomery), a debonaire friend of the family and long time buddy to Lizbeth. He proposes every time he sees her but is always rebuffed.
Then work takes Neil to Mexico, Norma accompanies him, and her love deepens. It is only then that Neil reveals the existence of a wife in Paris. Furthermore, he will be going to South America for a few years and is not taking Norma. She is devastated as he was her first love.
Lizbeth, goes to Europe and becomes a “loose woman”. Steve searches for her all over the continent and finally meets up with her in Spain. He is still willing to marry her despite her debauchery. Finally Neil writes telling her he has got divorced and she should come to Paris and marry him. Will she let him break her heart again? Will she come to her senses and realize what a catch Robert is? I will not spoil it for you.
In my opinion this is the worst of the Norma Shearer “free spirit” movies I have seen. The plot really doesn’t ring true and Shearer employs her girlish flirtatious giggle too frequently for my taste. She does handle the tragic parts well. On the other hand, Montgomery is devastatingly suave and handsome at this age. How could she resist him?
