I'm a little surprised the average review score isn't a little higher for this pre-Code film, which includes some decent performances from Adolphe Menjou and 24-year-old Laurence Olivier, who play a couple of British soldiers who both love the same woman, played by Lily Damita. A twist on the love triangle is that Damita is married to a blackguard played by Erich von Stroheim, who not only knows about her affairs, but blackmails her suitors. Sure, there is some unevenness in the performance from Olivier, but there are flashes of brilliance as well. von Stroheim also turns in a good, somewhat over-the-top performance as the heavy, as does Frederick Kerr, a feisty old general who hosts a dinner party towards the end of the film. The biggest weakness in the film is Damita, whose acting is subpar and whose passion is so understated as to be not believable. The plot is a little melodramatic but it zips along at 68 minutes and is reasonably enjoyable.
Review of Friends and Lovers
