The Divorcee (1930)

Powerful

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

An intelligent, adult comedy-drama about men, women, marriage, double standards, and forgiveness. Thanks to the writing (often sophisticated), the direction (quite accomplished for a 1930 movie) and a first-rate cast, these characters, their feelings, their problems remain contemporary and relatable nearly 90 years later. *** out of 4.

Produced and directed by Robert Z. Leonard. Copyright 23 April 1930 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp. New York opening at the Capitol, 9 May 1930. U.S. release: 19 April 1930. 9 reels. 7,533 feet. 83½ minutes.SYNOPSIS: Wife revenges herself for her husband's philandering by having an affair herself.NOTES: Academy Award, Best Actress, Norma Shearer (defeating her own performance in Their Own Desire, as well as Greta Garbo in both Romance and Anna Christie, Nancy Carroll in The Devil's Holiday, Ruth Chatterton in Sarah and Son, and Gloria Swanson in The Trespasser).Also nominated for Best Picture (All Quiet on the Western Front was the winner), Best Directing (Lewis Milestone won for All Quiet on the Western Front), Best Writing (Frances Marion won for The Big House).Number eight in the 1930 Film Daily poll of U.S. film critics. Negative cost was $341,000. Shooting took 22 days. Net domestic rentals amounted to a tidy $676,000, leaving MGM $335,000 in the black — with overseas rentals still to come!COMMENT: Norma Shearer, did she deserve to win an Academy Award for the year's Best Actress? By the standards prevailing in 1930, maybe. In a 2017 judgment, definitely not. It's a staged performance, compounded of nine-tenths artifice and one-tenth genuine feeling or sympathy for the character.It's true, that Norma does improve as the film progresses, but even at her best, she nearly always comes across as the actress, rarely as the character. Her obviously contrived approach is way out of touch not only with today's methods, but even with most of the other players in the movie. Actually, it's Robert Montgomery who comes over most convincingly of all. What's more you can actually sense the seducer ticking away behind all the shallow party tricks. That's acting indeed! I also liked Chester Morris, whose portrayal is generally under- rated. He is a thick head certainly, but that's exactly what the character is. He makes the scene in which he spurns Shearer so realistic that you actually feel for her. This flow of audience sympathy by default to Jerry is entirely due to Morris' acting, not Shearer's.After a great start, in which he does the drunk act most realistically, Conrad Nagel settles down into his conventional "other man" impersonation, but we must commend Judith Wood who plays the unfortunate Dorothy, Tyler Brooke as the inveterate party clown, and especially slinky Mary Doran who makes her Janice-Doesn't-Mean- a- Thing a person to remember.Also worthy of note is screenwriter Zelda Sears who has given herself the part of Hannah, the querulous maid. Being actually on the set throughout, at Robert Z. Leonard's invitation, she actually contributed more to the script, especially the dialogue, than the credits seem to indicate. When not wanted on the set itself, she sat right next to Leonard from go to whoa!Lavishly produced, skillfully edited and directed with considerable expertise, "The Divorcée" only shows its age in a rather noisy Western Electric Noiseless Recording soundtrack. Said noiseless track hisses, splutters and crackles rather disconcertingly throughout the action, but especially in many moments of supposedly pure silence.

I found that this movie, while groundbreaking and heralded in its day, is extremely dated and corny. I'm a big fan of classic film - especially the late 30's into the 40's. But most of the talkie films of the late 20s and early 30's seem more like carryover of the style ofsilent films. The acting is so melodramatic and exaggerated. Their voice, instead of speaking and emoting naturally, is so over-the-top as to sound ridiculous - nobody talks like that.I also found the 2 lead characters rather unattractive. Norma Shearer was no great beauty to me in this - she rather looked like a transvestite that is not at all feminine. Maybe they wanted a more masculine appearance for her so as to make her more fitting competition in a man's world and man's sport (infidelity).Chester Morris was strange looking as well. His profile showed his nose to look almost smashed into his face. It made him look as though he was constantly smelling something foul on the set. And his makeup was so unnatural - his lipstick was darker than the ladies.The theme of the film was no doubt controversial in its day. I suppose it was an early stab at women's liberation - that "what's good for the is good for the gander" so far as infidelity is concerned.The film provides a nice look at a young Robert Montgomery, just in his 2nd year in films. I think he gives one of the more natural performances.

Undaunted by the new technology of sound, Norma Shearer acts up a storm in this pre-code "women's film" about a society woman whose husband goes philandering, and decides to retaliate by doing some philandering of her own.The philandering husband is played by Chester Morris, while Robert Montgomery plays his best friend and Shearer's fling. The movie points to the hypocrisy in marital expectations that expects wives to look the other way when their boys are being boys, but entitles husbands to toss their wives aside when they do the same. Everything of course ties up nicely and happily for the couple, and in a way that would never happen in real life. But it's a lot more frank and honest than countless films on the same topic that would be released over the succeeding decade, when the production code wouldn't let filmmakers even acknowledge the existence of things like affairs and divorce.Shearer won her Academy Award for this film, and just try to take your eyes off of her whenever she's on screen.Grade: A-