A year after their success in the Oscar-winning "Cavalcade" and immediately following a decent droll comedy ("Where Sinners Meet"), Diana Wynard and Clive Brook snooze their way through this tedious marital drama that slithers through formula so deep that there is no washing it off. They are a bored married couple who argue over the teeniest things such as crushed flowers and being fashionably late that all of it becomes a relief for the audience when doctor Brook asked for a divorce. They end up becoming involved with younger members of their social circle (Helen Vinson and Theodore Newton), Brook crossing a line because Vinson was a patient of his. When Wynard encourages her estranged husband to start dating again (what is her and warned him that a lot of women will be chasing him), I rolled my eyes rather than laugh at the absurdity of the statement. The plot gets more twisted returns to his old girlfriend, Irene Hervey.
The extremely slow pacing makes this a frustrating snooze fest so when interjected comedy comes in, you feel like scenes from another movie have been interjected. What makes this worse is post credits titles which indicate that an NRA should be created to prevent divorce. This leads to a very preachy narrative where everybody, including butler Arthur Hoyt, comments on the evils of divorce. Certainly, the costumes and art direction are typically glossy, films that have great skills are always great films when seen on screen. Even the fight scenes between Wynard and Brook when they stopped constantly civilized are dull and lifeless, emphasizing the staginess of the film's structure. I like these actors in other films, but unfortunately, just drags for its entire short running time.
The extremely slow pacing makes this a frustrating snooze fest so when interjected comedy comes in, you feel like scenes from another movie have been interjected. What makes this worse is post credits titles which indicate that an NRA should be created to prevent divorce. This leads to a very preachy narrative where everybody, including butler Arthur Hoyt, comments on the evils of divorce. Certainly, the costumes and art direction are typically glossy, films that have great skills are always great films when seen on screen. Even the fight scenes between Wynard and Brook when they stopped constantly civilized are dull and lifeless, emphasizing the staginess of the film's structure. I like these actors in other films, but unfortunately, just drags for its entire short running time.