The Divorcee (1930)

The Divorcee: Directed by Robert Z. Leonard. With Norma Shearer, Chester Morris, Conrad Nagel, Robert Montgomery. When a woman discovers that her husband has been unfaithful to her, she decides to respond to his infidelities in kind.

“The Divorcée (1930)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe start of this is such a busy, overlapping party scene in a country house, you canu0026#39;t help but get swept up in it. And if some of the acting or a few of the quips are not perfect, the best moments are really fun and spirited. The naturalism is really refreshing, and pace fast, and the dialog real. Then it spins out of control–the events, not the movie–and before fifteen minutes are up, thereu0026#39;s a brief terrible moment that has two or three of the actors exploring an hysteria that a method actor would be proud of. Itu0026#39;s intense, great stuff. Get at least that far in.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe rest of the movie follows suit, through quiet and fast moments, and the drama turns to melodrama and back, all pinned together by the ever convincing Norma Shearer. The themes–fidelity and infidelity, love and friendship, the superficial versus the things that matter–give it all something to chew on or laugh at at ever turn.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s unnecessary to say that this is just two years after the full advent of sound, and itu0026#39;s a very developed, mature element in the movies. In fact, the density of things going on would never have been possible with intertitles, and it must have been a revelation to audiences and movie makers equally. Fast dialog and overlapping events are a natural extension of the theater, of course, but with the ability to shift scenes and zip down wooded roads with the camera is the essence of cinema.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo, in all, for how itu0026#39;s made, for the acting (the best of it), and for the serious, important themes, this is gem, an amazing movie, whatever its hiccups and flaws here and there. I wouldnu0026#39;t miss it.”