Friday, August 19, 2005
Two Kinds of Women (1932)
Director: William C. de Mille
See January for: ^Closer; ^The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou;
^Finding Neverland; ^The Aviator
See February for: ^Million Dollar Baby; ^Male and Female;
^Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; ^Love; ^Sunrise; ^Ray
See March for: ^Being Julia; ^Millions
See April for: ^Melinda and Melinda
See May for: ^ Look At Me ^Enron: The Smartest Guys In the Room ^Chinatown; ^ Born Into Brothels
See June for: ^Cote d’Azur ^5X2 ^Sabah ^Inlaws and Outlaws ^Peach Girl ^2046
See July for: ^Pick-up ^Batman Begins ^Mad Hot Ballroom ^Heights ^My Summer of Love
See August For: ^ Me You and Everyone We Know
A madcap story about Emma, the daughter of moralist Senator from North Dakota, and her love affair with a New York City playboy, Joseph. Joseph is the exact decadent ‘type’ the Senator is in town to rail against in his radio debate. So you see the film’s dilemma.
The film opens with two lovers, sweet country girl and smooth urban lothario, meeting, having an all night evening frolicking in the city’s night life, and falling in love by 5am.
Next, director de Mille must toss-up a few barriers to their love. Little things, like Joseph is already married and is being extorted by his wife. She refuses to grant his divorce until he comes with a half million dollars he does not have. (Joseph woke up married to this low-class gold digger after an all night drinking binge.) Also, a little further into the film Joseph is accused of murdering his estranged, blackmailing wife after she falls from the window of her drunken party. (He didn’t do it. It was her secret lover who needs cash to pay off his gambling debts and so allows her to walk off her balcony in her drunken disorientation so he can steal her jewelry.) Further, her Sentor dad is outraged by her choice of lovers for many reasons, not the least of which is the damage it could do to his reelection.
But these little details are soon cleared up. Joseph's wife is dead, so he no longer needs her to grant him a divorce, does he? Joseph is also cleared of murder charges when the really drunk woman realizes she has the dead wife's jewels in the secret boyfriend’s monogrammed hanky. (Ahh, the convience of melodrama.) Further the Senator ironically is assured reelection when he is heard defending his daughter instead of talking against her – which would have been seen as a blatant move to help his political career.
So Emma and Joseph will be married (in North Dakota) and return to their madcap life and love affair in the wonderfully immoral New York City.
Should you see it? Not really worth seeking out, but is worth sitting for if you happen come across it.
See January for: ^Closer; ^The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou;
^Finding Neverland; ^The Aviator
See February for: ^Million Dollar Baby; ^Male and Female;
^Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; ^Love; ^Sunrise; ^Ray
See March for: ^Being Julia; ^Millions
See April for: ^Melinda and Melinda
See May for: ^ Look At Me ^Enron: The Smartest Guys In the Room ^Chinatown; ^ Born Into Brothels
See June for: ^Cote d’Azur ^5X2 ^Sabah ^Inlaws and Outlaws ^Peach Girl ^2046
See July for: ^Pick-up ^Batman Begins ^Mad Hot Ballroom ^Heights ^My Summer of Love
See August For: ^ Me You and Everyone We Know
A madcap story about Emma, the daughter of moralist Senator from North Dakota, and her love affair with a New York City playboy, Joseph. Joseph is the exact decadent ‘type’ the Senator is in town to rail against in his radio debate. So you see the film’s dilemma.
The film opens with two lovers, sweet country girl and smooth urban lothario, meeting, having an all night evening frolicking in the city’s night life, and falling in love by 5am.
Next, director de Mille must toss-up a few barriers to their love. Little things, like Joseph is already married and is being extorted by his wife. She refuses to grant his divorce until he comes with a half million dollars he does not have. (Joseph woke up married to this low-class gold digger after an all night drinking binge.) Also, a little further into the film Joseph is accused of murdering his estranged, blackmailing wife after she falls from the window of her drunken party. (He didn’t do it. It was her secret lover who needs cash to pay off his gambling debts and so allows her to walk off her balcony in her drunken disorientation so he can steal her jewelry.) Further, her Sentor dad is outraged by her choice of lovers for many reasons, not the least of which is the damage it could do to his reelection.
But these little details are soon cleared up. Joseph's wife is dead, so he no longer needs her to grant him a divorce, does he? Joseph is also cleared of murder charges when the really drunk woman realizes she has the dead wife's jewels in the secret boyfriend’s monogrammed hanky. (Ahh, the convience of melodrama.) Further the Senator ironically is assured reelection when he is heard defending his daughter instead of talking against her – which would have been seen as a blatant move to help his political career.
So Emma and Joseph will be married (in North Dakota) and return to their madcap life and love affair in the wonderfully immoral New York City.
Should you see it? Not really worth seeking out, but is worth sitting for if you happen come across it.
