You're so glad that she loses all her money at the beginning of this. 'Ha, that'll teach you!' you'll exclaim. She's such an annoying, horrible piece of work that you can't help but wish misfortune on her......but hold on, she's just an actress.... Just an actress!
No, this isn't just an actress - this is the great stage actress Tallulah Bankhead who was both (apparently) fantastic live on stage whilst also being capable of being natural and utterly believable as a real person on film...... not something every stage actor could do back then. That's why she connects so well with you , it's why you initially loathe her, she's just so genuine.
In the early thirties, about 100 films per week seemed to made about a rich girl who lost all her money and ended up walking the streets. BAD COMPANY (1931) was one of the better examples - apart from some lousy acting. The acting in this one however (with the exception of Maurice Murphy) is excellent. This also benefits from a more believable storyline albeit a supreme misery-fest. At times it makes Tennessee Williams seem like Spongebob SquarePants.
This is probably one of the very best depictions of the suffering caused by The Great Depression in America. It does focus on the plight of the middle and upper classes only but their fall from s great height would have been more shocking and dramatic than those at those at the bottom who's life was pretty awful anyway even in the late 20s. Also this was made for that nice MGM audience, not the scruffy bunch who go to the Warner Brothers theatres! It didn't however really fit in with the MGM house style of family oriented, wholesome entertainment though. Neither did Tallulah - the girl who decided she was too good for Hollywood. The larger than life chain smoking, hard drinking, coke snorting, sex obsessed, human rights activist living life twice as fast as everyone else. She was certainly not an MGM sort of girl! She only 'lowered herself' a few times to make movies but this, along with LIFEBOAT is probably her best and worth watching. It was MGM's loss that they didn't want her.
Like John Barrymore - who was her male equivalent in so many ways, she is always great to watch but that doesn't always mean the film is good as well. Despite somewhat lifeless direction this is pretty compelling especially the second half but wouldn't be anything without Miss B who's character really pulls you deep into her story. You really can feel her suffering - you will hate her at the start, you will feel sorry for her in the middle, you will love her by the end.
No, this isn't just an actress - this is the great stage actress Tallulah Bankhead who was both (apparently) fantastic live on stage whilst also being capable of being natural and utterly believable as a real person on film...... not something every stage actor could do back then. That's why she connects so well with you , it's why you initially loathe her, she's just so genuine.
In the early thirties, about 100 films per week seemed to made about a rich girl who lost all her money and ended up walking the streets. BAD COMPANY (1931) was one of the better examples - apart from some lousy acting. The acting in this one however (with the exception of Maurice Murphy) is excellent. This also benefits from a more believable storyline albeit a supreme misery-fest. At times it makes Tennessee Williams seem like Spongebob SquarePants.
This is probably one of the very best depictions of the suffering caused by The Great Depression in America. It does focus on the plight of the middle and upper classes only but their fall from s great height would have been more shocking and dramatic than those at those at the bottom who's life was pretty awful anyway even in the late 20s. Also this was made for that nice MGM audience, not the scruffy bunch who go to the Warner Brothers theatres! It didn't however really fit in with the MGM house style of family oriented, wholesome entertainment though. Neither did Tallulah - the girl who decided she was too good for Hollywood. The larger than life chain smoking, hard drinking, coke snorting, sex obsessed, human rights activist living life twice as fast as everyone else. She was certainly not an MGM sort of girl! She only 'lowered herself' a few times to make movies but this, along with LIFEBOAT is probably her best and worth watching. It was MGM's loss that they didn't want her.
Like John Barrymore - who was her male equivalent in so many ways, she is always great to watch but that doesn't always mean the film is good as well. Despite somewhat lifeless direction this is pretty compelling especially the second half but wouldn't be anything without Miss B who's character really pulls you deep into her story. You really can feel her suffering - you will hate her at the start, you will feel sorry for her in the middle, you will love her by the end.