Like both Joan Crawford, at her best in melodrama, and Clark Gable, at his best in romantic comedies and comedy (also equally as strong in drama) as actors. They both gave a lot of fine performances and starred in a fair share of good and more films on their own. 'Chained' is their fifth pairing together and shows how they worked so well together, maybe not one of the all-time great partnerships in film but their chemistry always shone.
Is 'Chained' one of their best films, individually and together? Not to me. Does it boast one of Crawford's best performances? No, but it was great to see a different side to her. Does it see the best of Gable? No, but he is in the sort of role that he always played very well and suited him perfectly. Is 'Chained' worth watching? Absolutely, and primarily for those two and their chemistry. It may not be a great film, but to me it was a good one and deserves to be better known.
'Chained' may be predictable in story and again story-wise there is not an awful lot to it. One may not buy that the characters seem so polite and almost too over-civil, considering the type of story it was it would have benefitted from more character depth and more tension.
There is one not so good performance. That comes from Stuart Erwin, who for my tastes was annoying, his material overdone and didn't gel particularly well with the rest of the film.
Visually though, 'Chained' looks absolutely great. Loved the lavish sets and Crawford's knockout costumes really do stop the show. All enhanced by the photography, which was almost dream-like. The music avoids being too syrupy, while Clarence Brown directs with always engaging style while accomodating the cast just as beautifully. The dialogue is smart, witty and sophisticated as one hopes. Did not expect the ending, which doesn't end as patly as feared and didn't feel as forced upon as it could have been.
Both Crawford and Gable are delightful here. It was great to see Crawford more toned down, for somebody who often starred in intense melodramas, and bringing a lighter touch to her acting, and the role suits her very well. Gable is dashing and charismatic with smart comic timing. Their chemistry scintillates. Suave Otto Kruger also gives a fine performance and even steals his scenes.
Overall, while not a must see it is worth tracking seen and deserves to be seen more. 7/10
