Mulher Entre Amigos

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.

"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."

"How did you know I was married?" "For one thing, you have that certain look." "Oh, yeah? Well, you needn't worry about her. You see, Consuelo and I, well, she does as she likes and I do what I like."

Bebe Daniels is at the top of her flirting game here, and looks gorgeous in her various gowns, a sailor outfit, and that bathing suit with the big fish on it. After diving into the water, she strips out of the latter and challenges a young man (her real-life husband Ben Lyon) to catch her, swimming away provocatively. Later she asks him about his marriage and he tells her it's not an issue, because he and his wife have an "understanding." After they spend the night together, she's shown in her lingerie, toweling off her outstretched leg (ah, ya gotta love the pre-Code staples). And this is only one man she's seeing - there's also Lewis Stone's character, who despite looking a bit old to be involved with her, eventually has a physical relationship with her as well (after a passionate kiss, he says "Young lady, you're on the edge of starting something that you don't dare finish," to which she replies "Am I?" before pulling him back in for another).

Her buddy (Joan Blondell) casts doubt on just how open the younger man's marriage is, or whether he's actually getting a divorce ("Take it from me, I know these young, married men"), and sure enough, she's right. His wife (Natalie Moorhead) shows up, and while Daniels' character puts on a brave face, she's heartbroken - but it turns out the wife has a man of her own in Paris ("Poogie", lol), and wants a divorce. It's a bit melodramatic as Daniels' character is then away with Stone's when Lyon's discovers he's free, and the story is told in a rather slow, methodical way in its second half, which was unfortunate. However, while it threatened to turn into a morality story, the ending was rather sweet. When you add that together with the pre-Code acceptance of pre-marital sex and divorce, along with the charms of Daniels and Blondell, it all makes for an enjoyable film.

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!

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).