Dodsworth

Sam Dodsworth ran a motor works for twenty years and has sold his company. He is retired now. His wife Fran has long wanted to go to Europe and they take a ship. There she sees another life: invitations, titles, the attention of young men and the chance to refuse to age. Sam does not know what to do in Europe. Fran wants to stay in Paris and he wants to go home. They separate. He meets a woman: Edith lives in Italy and expects nothing from him. William Wyler directs. Walter Huston plays Sam, Ruth Chatterton plays Fran and Mary Astor plays Edith. The source is Sinclair Lewis's novel. Walter Huston had played the same part on stage and the film comes out of that production. The subject is divorce and ageing; few films of the period treat it this openly. The film accuses nobody. Fran is made ridiculous and the narrative does not punish her; her fear is shown as intelligible. The visual work follows Wyler's known approach: long takes, deep focus and keeping two characters in the same frame. It was nominated in many categories at the Oscars and won for art direction. Who it is for: viewers who like classic Hollywood drama and literary adaptation. Who it is not for: the pace is slow, it rests on talk, and the narrative is built on a condition rather than events.