My Past

"My Past" -- and in precode Hollywood, you had one -- was released in 1931 and starred Bebe Daniels, her husband, Ben Lyon, Lewis Stone, Joan Blondell, and Natalie Moorhead.

Daniels plays an actress, Doree Macy, who is crazy in love with Robert Byrne (Lyon), a married man whose wife is away supposedly getting a divorce. Meanwhile, an older man, John Thornley (Stone) is in love with Doree also.

Blondell, who is Doree's friend Marion, warns her that these married guys are just out for a good time and their wives are never getting a divorce.

Robert's wife returns, and, as Marion warned, he returns to her. He does love Doree. She acts as if she understands, but she's devastated. She takes up with the gentlemanly Thornley, but her heart isn't in it. She's fond of him, but her heart is still with Robert.

Very precode -- scanty clothes, implied sex, the whole shebang. The acting is okay for the era. As sometimes is found in these very early '30s films, there are big pauses between sentences, probably because people still weren't sure how to talk in the movies. Blondell is a standout, but then, she always is. Even in a small role, she shines.

Lyon became an executive at 20th Century Fox, a job he did while still doing his popular radio show with Daniels in England, where the couple eventually moved. They were married for 41 years, until her death. Lyon is credited with discovering and naming Marilyn Monroe while he worked in casting at Fox.

This movie doesn't move all that quickly but it's short and worth seeing for the cast and the whole precode "aura."

Interesting movie for 1931 at best. better Hollywood productions were out the, Acting leaves a bit to be desire. The movie has a very slow and tedious start. One has to admit that the sound quality was pretty compare to others movies of that period. The film quality is also very good. I am not sure if it is because I saw it on Time Warner Classic (TMC) and they may have done some restoration of the original print. Either way the quality is very nice for a movie from that period. Bebe Daniels does her usual fast acting and speech delivery gig. But her acting is also as usual, very average for that era. Overall I will say that this movie is worth watching.

Folks who haven't seen many old films often assume that they were all morally chaste and 'nice'. Well, this was true of nearly all films made between 1934 and about 1960 due to the tough Production Code which severely restricted the content in Hollywood films. However, before July, 1934, films were occasionally pretty scandalous...even by modern standards. While "My Past" doesn't have any nudity and the language is all strictly PG-rated, the plot itself is, well, rather sleazy...surprisingly so.

Doree Macy is an actress...and she apparently has a non-conventional sense of morality. She is interested in two men who both run a steel company. John (Lewis Stone) is older and single...Bob (Ben Lyon) is married. Of the two, she prefers Bob but realizes that because he's married, their relationship cannot result in marriage. But she throws caution to the wind and while his wife is away, the two have an affair. When the wife returns, Doree walks away...saying it was all in good fun. What she doesn't realize is that Bob's wife is totally disinterested in him...and wants a divorce. But by then it's too late...Doree is back with John. What's next?

Even by modern standards, this movie is pretty sleazy since it seems very pro-adultery. Additionally, Doree is quite the bohemian, swimming naked with Bob and enjoying a lusty sex life. It's not surprising that films like this eventually resulted in some backlash from 1930s audiences, and by 1934 box office receipts were way down...and Hollywood decided to actually enforce the new Code.

So is it any good? No. It's not just that the film offers a sleazy message...but it actually manages to be awfully boring in the process!! How can a film feature a nude swimming scene, adultery and more...yet manage to put you to sleep? Well, this one sure did for me!

Although Roy DelRuth made his pretty decent version of THE MALTESE FALCON just a few weeks after this, he gives the impression here that he hadn't quite yet mastered how to make a talking picture. This one does creak a bit!

Maybe the sound recording equipment he had for this was particularly primitive or maybe William Wellman 'had borrowed' the decent stuff to make his OTHER MEN'S WOMEN (a much, much better film than this) on the next sound stage - which also featured Joan Blondell. Whatever the reason, the result is that it's one of those pictures where everyone waits their turn to speak - very slowly and carefully as though they're speaking to their bank's automated voice recognition system. This is a major frustration; it really slows everything down giving an artificial and detached feel to the whole thing.

Despite the film's glacial pace, Bebe Daniels puts in a relatively good performance. When you get used to the weird slow motion in real time thing, you can appreciate that she could actually a very good actress. This however is not her finest hour but without her, this wouldn't be watching at all.

It's interesting to compare Bebe Daniels' performance with that of Joan Blondell. Although it was in the silents, Bebe Daniels had over a decade of experience making movies. Joan was a relative newcomer and that sadly shows. As Joan's biggest fan, it pains me to conclude that her acting in this is quite awful. If her future had relied on her performance in this, nobody would ever have heard of her today. Her performance however isn't all that matters, she's just so likeable and lovely that audiences just fell in love with her.

Ignoring the film's main shortcoming the overall look is very impressive and sophisticated - it feels more MGM movie than something from Warner Brothers (and about the rich not the poor). High quality production however doesn't compensate for the flimsy and trivial story and theatrical style script. In a nutshell, it's about a flighty, flirty flapper: Bebe Daniels who is torn between a lovely old (very old) man or younger (married) man. She wants to settle down but he only wants an affair.....is it love or is it lust? .......yes, that old story! It's quite interesting to see something contemporarily familiar in the context of 1930.

Although we don't get to see much of the world beyond the yacht and the posh hotels, as a trip on a celluloid Time Machine, it's a fascinating insight into the attitudes of 1930. Other than that or wanting to see a not very impressive young Joan Blondell in a fairly big supporting role, I cannot think of any reason to watch this. A pointless badly told story about uninteresting people.

It's not a storybook romance, it's not revenge, and it's certainly not action. Tempers don't get out of hand, and nobody breaks any dishes, though hearts are broken -- some, several times. If anything, almost everyone involved is more polite than others expect ... and that's the problem, since nobody wants to hurt anyone either. A fairly mature telling of how romantic intertwining may or may not work, and how the people involved might handle it. The characters are surprisingly honest about their failings, and none are either blamed or blameless.

That being said, a lot of the acting comes and goes. There's quite a bit of overly clear articulation early on, especially from Ben Lyon. Joan is mostly just serviceable with a flash or two of what made her so special elsewhere. Bebe shows improvement from her earlier roles; in one lonely scene with roses, she wins us entirely without words. Lewis Stone is almost unfailingly sympathetic, just as he is so often -- when a scene really works, it's often because of him, whether alone or with others. Natalie Moorhead seems born to this kind of role, so it's a pleasure to see her do it again.

All in all, a worthwhile story, nicely filmed and clearly audible. Recommended for its unusual subtlety, and the fantastic proliferation of Art Deco design and late-flapper gowns (especially on Moorhead).