“To
the devil with love!.”
Private Lives is one of my favorite
comedies from the 1930s. I was cracking up from the moment Norma Shearer and
Robert Montgomery looked at each other.
Elyot
Chase (Montgomery) has just gotten married in a large ceremony to Sibyl (Una
Merkel). Amanda (Shearer) has just gotten married to Victor Prynne (Reginald
Denny) at a justice of the peace in France. Both couples go to beach side hotel
and have rooms next to each others.
Amanda
and Elyot do not seem to be really in love their new spouses. Each had been
previously married and they are thinking about the other. Victor and Silbyl ask
them about their other spouses. Amanda says her ex-husband was violent towards
her:
Victor:
He struck you once
Amanda:
More than once
Victor:
Where?
Amanda:
Several places
Victor:
What a cad
Amanda:
I struck him too. Once I broke four gramophone records over his head it was very satisfying.
Sibyl keeps asking Elyot if he is still
in love with his ex-wife. You can see that he is obviously lying when he says
no. He even gets defensive when Sibyl says something mean about the ex-wife.
Amanda
and Elyot are both on the balconies of their rooms. Victor and Sibyl have gone
separately down to the dining room after they fought with Amanda and Elyot.
Elyot is sitting down behind a shrub and starts whistling. Amanda recognizes
the tune and when she moves a little she sees Elyot. After being taken aback
she starts singing along to the tune. Elyot shoots up. They both look at each
and cannot believe what they are seeing: Amanda and Elyot used to be married to
each other! Just when they thought they were rid of each other!
After
the initial shock they sit down for drinks. They each ask if the other is happy
and although they say they are it is clear they are not. They start talking about
when they were married and how happy they were. They want each other desperately,
they kiss, and Elyot proposes they runaway together. The only problem is that
they bicker too much. He comes up with a code word for when the bickering gets
out of control and they have to be quiet for two minutes.
As
soon as they get on the train Elyot and Amanda start bickering. This is the
start of several hysterical fights over the stupidest things. They are nice to
each other for like five minutes and then immediately start bickering. Towards
the end of the film they get into an all out brawl!! (more on that in a bit).
Victor
and Sibyl eventually find Amanda and Elyot… they walk in right at the end of
the brawl! The next morning Victor talks to Amanda. He tells her the only
practical thing is for them to divorce. She deludes herself saying they should
not that she does love him. Elyot and Sibyl also talk but off camera and in his
room. When they come out Sibyl says they are staying together.
The
two couples have a very awkward breakfast together. They are all trying to
civil with each other and the conversations are short and about the oddest
things. All the sudden Sibyl and Victor start arguing and going back and forth
saying things about Elyot and Amanda. Elyot and Amanda do not even care what is
being said about them because everything about them is true. They just sit
there starring at the other two fighting and they start laughing towards the
end. Eventually Amanda and Elyot sneak out and runaway together yet again.
I
love Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery together. They were perfect. As I have
mentioned in another post I have yet to see Montgomery in a bad role he is just
so smooth and so funny and incredibly well dressed and put together. Now Norma
Shearer was hysterical I loved the way she let go but after while her phony
voice got on my nerves. I think their characters were supposed to be stuffy
British people with a lot of money and that was what Shearer was trying to pull
off but it did not really work for her. But other than her voice Shearer was
fabulous.
I
always feels bad for Reginald Denny when I see him in a film because he is
usually the man who marries or likes the leading leady but he is too grown-up,
shall we say, for her. He was younger and much handsome here than I am used to
seeing him and he had some good scenes. Una Merkel was a pain in the ass but that
comes down to her character. Her voice got on my nerves as well.
Alright
now onto that brawl between Amanda and Elyot… well I do not think my or any
explanation could do it justice so here’s a video:
From the moment Elyot starts yelling at
Amanda to turn the record player off I was laughing and could not stop as soon
as they started hitting each other. Shearer was hysterical how she ran on the
couch hiding her face and kicking her feet like a little kid. The brawl is one
of the scenes that completely makes this film.
There
are plenty of other hysterical scenes in the film besides the brawl. My other
favorite scene other than the brawl is at the end when Sibyl and Victor start
arguing and Elyot and Amanda just sit and watch them and laugh. I died when
they are drinking their coffee and just looking wide eyed at the other two, you
would have to see it but trust me their faces are so funny.
Private Lives is such a great 1930s
screwball comedy that is definitely not given enough credit. The story is not
dated at all if it was not for the clothes it looks like a modern movie.
Besides the fact that Norma Shearer is in the film you know that this is a
1930s MGM production just from the quality of filmmaking, the sets, the clothes
(by Adrian the only designer who dressed Shearer at the studio), and the story.
Private Lives is one of the many
films that makes me love classic Hollywood more and more.
Private Lives is currently available on
DVD (which I highly recommend just buying if you love classic Hollywood) and
youtube.
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