Ladies of Leisure

Frank Capra's 1930 film contains one of Barbara Stanwyck's first major roles. Kay Arnold moves from party to party looking for a wealthy suitor. Her meeting with Jerry, who comes from a rich family and is trying to become a painter, begins as an arrangement of mutual convenience. The film belongs to the first years of sound and its technique is heavy in places; the scenes are long and the camera moves little. Stanwyck's performance overcomes that constraint. Capra later described noticing that she gave her best work on the first take, and dropping rehearsals because of it. The freedom of the pre-Code period is evident. What the woman does for a living, the class difference and relationships outside marriage are all discussed openly; a few years later none of that would have been possible. Who it's for: those curious about early sound Hollywood and about Barbara Stanwyck. Who it's not for: viewers wanting fluent technique; the rhythm and the sound recording carry the limits of their moment.