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The Divorcee

  • 1930
  • Passed
  • 1h 24m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
Norma Shearer in The Divorcee (1930)
The Divorcee: Am I Right
Play clip1:48
Watch The Divorcee: Am I Right
1 Video
54 Photos
DramaRomance

When a woman discovers that her husband has been unfaithful to her, she decides to respond to his infidelities in kind.When a woman discovers that her husband has been unfaithful to her, she decides to respond to his infidelities in kind.When a woman discovers that her husband has been unfaithful to her, she decides to respond to his infidelities in kind.

  • Director
    • Robert Z. Leonard
  • Writers
    • Ursula Parrott
    • Nick Grinde
    • Zelda Sears
  • Stars
    • Norma Shearer
    • Robert Montgomery
    • Chester Morris
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    3.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert Z. Leonard
    • Writers
      • Ursula Parrott
      • Nick Grinde
      • Zelda Sears
    • Stars
      • Norma Shearer
      • Robert Montgomery
      • Chester Morris
    • 61User reviews
    • 40Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 3 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Divorcee: Am I Right
    Clip 1:48
    The Divorcee: Am I Right

    Photos54

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    Top cast20

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    Norma Shearer
    Norma Shearer
    • Jerry
    Robert Montgomery
    Robert Montgomery
    • Don
    Chester Morris
    Chester Morris
    • Ted
    Conrad Nagel
    Conrad Nagel
    • Paul
    Florence Eldridge
    Florence Eldridge
    • Helen
    Helene Millard
    Helene Millard
    • Mary
    Robert Elliott
    Robert Elliott
    • Bill
    Mary Doran
    Mary Doran
    • Janice
    Tyler Brooke
    Tyler Brooke
    • Hank
    Zelda Sears
    Zelda Sears
    • Hannah
    George Irving
    George Irving
    • Dr. Bernard
    Judith Wood
    Judith Wood
    • Dorothy
    • (as Helen Johnson)
    Neal Dodd
    Neal Dodd
    • Hospital Minister
    • (uncredited)
    Charles R. Moore
    Charles R. Moore
    • First Porter Opening Window
    • (uncredited)
    Lee Phelps
    • Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    George Reed
    George Reed
    • Second Porter
    • (uncredited)
    Andy Shuford
    Andy Shuford
    • Boy at Lake
    • (uncredited)
    Carl Stockdale
    Carl Stockdale
    • Divorce Judge
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Robert Z. Leonard
    • Writers
      • Ursula Parrott
      • Nick Grinde
      • Zelda Sears
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews61

    6.73.8K
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    Featured reviews

    8emdragon

    Norma Shearer gives one of the all-time great performances

    The Divorcée, set in 1930 New York, profiles a pair of party-making revelers amidst an entire circle of friends in high society. . .before and after they dare to turn their lives over to the institution of marriage, which in this world of around the clock carousing is a far cry from what is expected of them by their partying circle of friends. Norma Shearer, in what truly is one of the silver screen's great performances, plays the creatively witty and sweetly charming high society gal Jerry Martin. She can have any man in the group, but chooses Ted. They are married, and enter into an enduring period of romantic fairytale bliss (3 Years). Then, on the eve of their 3rd wedding anniversary everything unravels in a sea of infidelity, bitter honesty, and emotion. Norma Shearer's performance completely enraptures, and in an honest portrayal of ensuing emotional fallout, we see the inner struggles of the modern enlightened woman of her time. Robert Mongomery, in a supporting role, shines as well as the veritable proprietor of the circle of friends and one of the reveling agents of promiscuous redress. The film's direction is interesting, the makeup slightly absurd (it is 1930), and the cinematography non-existent. . .yet Ms Shearer's riveting abilities entrance the audience, and more than carry the day.
    agent-too

    Witty, heartbreaking, and surprising

    The Divorcée has much more to offer than the melodramatic plot may insinuate. Sparkling performances aside (including Norma Shearer's Oscar-winning turn), the film is full of witty dialogue, risqué subject matter, and a serious, adult look at divorce, not seen again for decades. The film not only showcases the largely-forgotten Shearer beautifully, an actress who continually pushed subject matter and fought for strong roles, but proves itself as a pivotal 1930's Hollywood product. The Divorcée is appreciable as a pre-code, and worth seeing for its unusually bold themes alone, but its surprising and often heartbreaking plot makes it an unusual gem.
    9kscmtgrove

    Shearer is Excellent

    The scene where Norma Shearer begs Chester Morris to stay together in their marriage is truly riveting and powerful . It is one of the most truly amazing performances on film. I remember being so genuinely blown away by the beauty and power of that performance that I jumped out of my chair to grab the rental box positive she must have won an Oscar, she had. Very sexy movie, Robert Montgomery is smooth as always. I see some people found it hokey or contrived, I did not, The emotions covered here are as relevant today as in 1930. Attractive, complex characters. For the romantic in all of us, where decency and honor will prevail.
    8Steffi_P

    "An overtone of sarcasm"

    The dramas of the early sound era were often awkward, phoney-looking things. A lot of this has to do with the acting. Most actors were of course experienced in silent cinema, but a lot of players with stage experience had also been brought in as was deemed appropriate for "talkies". Silent screen acting tended to be over-the-top so that meaning could be expressed without words, and stage acting also tended to be over-the-top so that meaning could be expressed to people sitting in the back row. But this excessive style didn't really work in the more authentic setting of sound cinema. Of course, movie people weren't stupid; they were aware of what did and didn't work and the industry adapted quicker than is sometimes thought.

    And of course, there were some actors and actresses who simply seemed to get the hang of it straight away. Norma Shearer was among a small number who survived the transition from silents to talkies with her career completely intact. One thing Shearer had was a remarkable presence – she's able to project herself with just a simple gesture or pose, and in The Divorcée she's often standing with her shoulders slightly forward in understated aggression. And within this context she is able to give a restrained performance, conveying a great deal but with a degree of credibility that makes the drama seem more believable. Shearer deservedly won the Academy Award for her work here. Compare her to previous year's winner Mary Pickford in Coquette, a slice of ham from a bygone era, and you can see how much things have changed.

    Let's also take a look at the director Robert Z. Leonard. He's not too well remembered these days because he isn't deemed an auteur, but at the time he was among the forefront of Hollywood professionals. Two things in particular are worth noting about his style in The Divorcée. First is that he uses a lot of camera movement to really engage us in a scene (who says early sound films were static?), often using a noteworthy pan as a character appears. Secondly, he gives us an awful lot of the interplay between characters in simple wordless glances between them, for example the jealous look of Conrad Nagel when Shearer and Chester Morris announce their betrothal, or later a silent, spiteful exchange between Shearer and Mary Doran. There was a temptation for talkie directors to shoot things before the assembled actors as if for a stage play, but here Leonard is making subtle close-ups that cut across the action, and in so doing giving depth to the story outside of the dialogue.

    This picture is now often classified as a "pre-code" movie for its depiction of Shearer's promiscuity after she becomes the titular divorcée, although even by the standards of the day it's pretty tame. However, thanks to its fluid direction and naturalistic acting, it is nevertheless a movie that seems a few steps ahead of its time, and points towards the increasingly sophisticated sound cinema of the 1930s.
    8gftbiloxi

    A Neglected Landmark, More Often Discussed Than Actually Seen

    THE Divorcée was created in the first wave of "all talking pictures," an era in which directors, writers, and actors often struggled to find styles appropriate to the new technology. At the time, it was hailed as a masterpiece of realism; today, however, it is a film more often discussed than actually seen, for there is no escaping the fact that the film is stylistically dated. Even so, it remains a landmark of its era--and given its historical importance it should be seen by any one with a serious interest in the history of American cinema.

    The film is "pre-code," which is to say that it was made during a handful of years in the early 1930s when Hollywood's self-censorship was more the subject of jokes than of reality, and THE Divorcée was among the first Hollywood talkies to openly address both female sexuality and the sexual double standard. The story finds Jerry (Norma Shearer) and Ted (Chester Morris) happily married--but on their third anniversary Jerry discovers that Ted has been unfaithful, something that Ted dismisses with the words "it doesn't mean a thing." Angry and hurt, Jerry responds by having a one night stand of her own--and then is astonished by Ted's hypocrisy when he declares that her infidelity "isn't the same thing." The same story has been told so often that today we take it for granted, but in 1930 it was extremely controversial, and the cast plays it out with considerable intensity. Most notable is star Norma Shearer; although changing styles have left her sadly neglected, in her own era she was considered among the finest actresses on the screen and noted for her unusual beauty, memorable speaking voice, and tremendous star quality. In THE Divorcée she gives it everything she has, and her power is such that most viewers will find she quickly transcends the stylistically dated aspects of both the film and her own performance.

    Over the years I've seen the film several times--most impressively on the big screen, where the larger than life performances seem considerably less affected--and I've enjoyed it quite a bit every time. If you are interested in exploring early 1930s Hollywood films, you could do considerably worse than to begin with THE Divorcée, which was my own introduction to that film era. If you are already interested in early 1930s film and have never seen it... this one belongs on your shelf, and no excuses.

    Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Ursula Parrott's novel "Ex-Wife" was a runaway bestseller in 1929. MGM was a little wary of being too closely associated with such a racy novel so did not credit the source book directly. Instead the screen credit reads "Based on a novel by Ursula Parrott".
    • Goofs
      1928 was Jerry's 3rd Wedding Anniversary, yet, the band in the nightclub/speakeasy is playing "Happy Days are Here Again" which was not composed for another year.
    • Quotes

      Jerry Bernard Martin: I've balanced our accounts.

    • Alternate versions
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer also released this film in a silent version. No details are available.
    • Connections
      Featured in MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992)
    • Soundtracks
      Singin' in the Rain
      (1929) (uncredited)

      Music by Nacio Herb Brown

      Lyrics by Arthur Freed

      Played on the radio

      Tyler Brooke also dances and strums an instrument to the music

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    FAQ18

    • How long is The Divorcee?Powered by Alexa
    • Why did Paul marry Dorothy?

    Details

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    • Release date
      • April 19, 1930 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • La divorciada
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $340,691 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 24m(84 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White

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