Children of Divorce

A boarding school in Paris. Two girls meet there: Kitty has been left by her mother, and Jean was sent because her parents divorced. Years later both are living in America in the same circle. Jean loves Ted, a friend from childhood, and it seems they will marry. Kitty wants money and position. One night Ted drinks too much and wakes to learn that he has married Kitty. Frank Lloyd directs. Clara Bow plays Kitty, Esther Ralston plays Jean and Gary Cooper plays Ted. The film belongs to the end of the silent period and is among the most discussed of Clara Bow's work; she was the best known star in America in those years. Gary Cooper is early in his career and this is one of his first substantial parts. The subject is in the title: the mark left on children by families breaking up. The film builds it as a social matter and conducts a direct argument for its period. During production one section was reshot by another director; the studio was unhappy with the result and some scenes were changed. The ending is built to the moral frame of its time and goes to a harsh resolution. Who it is for: viewers who like silent cinema and Hollywood melodrama of the twenties. Who it is not for: the narrative is in a melodramatic mould, the characters are types, and the pace is slow by present measure.