The Divorcee (1930)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Jerry (Norma Shearer) and Ted (Chester Morris) are young, in love, and part of the New York 'in-crowd'. Jerry's decision to marry Ted crushes a yearning Paul (Conrad Nagel). Distraught Paul gets drunk and wrecks his car, disfiguring young Dorothy's face in the process. Out of pity, Paul marries Dorothy (Judith Wood). Years later, the apparent perfect marriage of Ted and Jerry falls apart from infidelity on both sides. Inwardly unhappy, popular Jerry lives a party life while Ted sinks into a life of alcoholism. Jerry then runs into Paul, who still loves her. After spending time together with Jerry, Paul plans to divorce Dorothy. When Jerry sees Dorothy again, she has second thoughts about where her life is heading. - Actors:
- Norma Shearer, Robert Montgomery, Chester Morris, Conrad Nagel, Florence Eldridge, Helene Millard, Robert Elliott, Mary Doran, Tyler Brooke, Zelda Sears, George Irving, Judith Wood
- Directors:
- Robert Z. Leonard
- Producers:
- Robert Z. Leonard, Irving Thalberg
- Writers:
- Ursula Parrott, Nick Grinde, Zelda Sears, John Meehan
- Others:
- John Meehan, Robert Leonard
- Aka:
- Ex-Wife
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
- Collections:
- Award Winners, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1
- Awards:
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Reviews (1) of The Divorcee
Precode Drama. - The Divorcee review by Steve
Classic example of the films which inspired the cult of Hollywood talking pictures before the Production Code was enforced in 1934- which were then banned or re-edited because of illicit content. They give a fascinating insight into what metropolitans thought before they were told how to think by the Hays office. Plus it's great to see the period fashions and hear the slang.
Norma Shearer stars as a modern career woman whose husband (Chester Morris) has a casual affair. So the wife retaliates in kind. When she finds she is judged by different standards, they are divorced and she plays the field. And he discovers he can't get on without her. These themes are not just obliquely alluded to, this is ostentatiously a proto-feminist polemic.
There's the jazz age setting popular in Hollywood films going back to the mid-20s. Only in the talkies, there's ragtime on the soundtrack. Norma won the Oscar for best female actor. She's unsubtle, but plays a believably strong woman. And has some astonishing lines. The screenplay is a blast, brimming with witty, acidic and salacious observations on sexual hypocrisy.
The attitude which now confounds is not the divorce, but the drunk driver who disfigures a women, but takes zero responsibility. Norma dominates, as she should, and Robert Montgomery gives good support as the rich lunkhead she evens the score with. This is badly paced, poorly directed and edited, and old fashioned. But that's part of the deal. It's also a wild experience.