Indiscreet

Indiscreet is a pleasant film in the vein of a P. G. Wodehouse farce with many charming moments. The dialogue is consistently sharp, often amusing, and is similar to the comedic repartee of later films by Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder, and Frank Capra.

The plot revolves around a coquette, Geraldine Trent (Gloria Swanson), who finds the perfect man (Ben Lyon), only to be tempted by an old flame (Monroe Owsley). The choice she makes is easily predictable to connoisseurs of romantic comedy, but the plot is of secondary importance due to the presence of Gloria Swanson.

Prior to viewing Indiscreet, I had never seen Swanson in any other film aside from Billy Wilder's mesmerizing Sunset Boulevard. To see Swanson in this film is to be in awe of her magnetism and talent as an actress. A far cry from some 'one-note' comediennes of the silent era, Swanson imbues an otherwise shallow character with a layered personality. She is truly a forgotten gem of early cinema.

In contrast to Swanson's star power, Ben Lyon is flat and devoid of charm as her love interest. Supposedly one of the more popular stars of Hollywood, I fail to see any justification for such laurels. Indeed, a cardinal sin of any film is when the villain or rival is more charming and attractive than the hero. This film is guilty of that sin with a far more interesting Monroe Owsley cast as the rival.

Despite the lackluster performance of Lyon and some predictable elements, Indiscreet is an entertaining film. At the very least, watch Indiscreet to glimpse a young Gloria Swanson at the height of her powers.

Gloria Swanson's lively screen presence and engaging energy make "Indiscreet" worth seeing. The story setup has some good possibilities, but aside from Swanson it never really takes full advantage of them. Most of the supporting cast is only adequate, and the script overlooks some good opportunities to make for more compelling drama and wittier comedy.

The movie starts with Jerry (Swanson's character) getting rid of a sleazy boyfriend, finding a new man more worthy of her, and then having her ex-lover return as her sister's new beau. Her fear of the past being revealed, combined with her protective feelings for her sister, set up the kind of internal conflict that can make a movie character quite memorable. And Swanson is quite believable in the part, but the script and the rest of the cast give her little help. (An exception is Maude Eburne, who gets some good moments as Jerry's spirited aunt.)

Leo McCarey was a sure-handed director, especially with comedy. Here, although he creates some good moments, there are times when it is not hard to see that he is still developing his touch. That's nothing against McCarey, because in the late 1920s and early 1930s even the best directors were still in the process of adjusting to sound movies, and McCarey had already made some fine movies, with plenty more to come.

Her performance in this role shows that Swanson could have had a future in the sound era, but unfortunately she, like so many silent-era stars, was not served well by the studio system in the new era of film-making. Here, she is well above the level of most of the rest of the movie.

Indiscreet is a delightful surprise. One of only six films Swanson made in the 1930's this is a refreshingly sexy and sophisticated comedy about relationships. Swanson positively glows as a wealthy young woman betrayed by the sleazy Monroe Owsley and loved by the effervescent Ben Lyon. Maude Eburne gives strong comic support, and Arthur Lake is hilarious as a simple country boy. But it is Swanson all the way - she looks fabulous and acts even better. The scene where she feigns madness is as good an audition for "Hamlet" as I've ever seen. And she even sings - and very well!

This is a great fore-taste of the wonderful sophisticated but slightly anarchic comedies Leo McCarey would later make like "The Awful Truth" and "Ruggles Of Red Gap" - and with Swanson exuding sex and wit this film is a real winner.

Indiscreet was directed by legendary Leo McCarey and starred superstar Gloria Swanson as a woman who hides her past only to find her ex-boyfriend has taken up with her sister. Dumb plot but played for laughs. Swanson was a marvelous light actress and she looks great here. She sings well and, in only her 3rd talkie, has mastered the new medium. Swanson had a great voice and you hear it here--all the inflections and phrasing-- 20 years before her masterpiece, Sunset Boulevard. What a talent. Too bad after The Trespasser in 1929 her films did not do well at the box office. Ben Lyon is the handsome leading man. Monroe Owsley is the creepy boyfriend. Maude Eburne is funny at the aunt. Arthur Lake, Barbara Kent, Nella Walker and Henry Kolker co-star.

This 1931 release is weighed down by too much wan dialogue (further impaired by a damaged soundtrack). Gloria Swanson, playing some sort of sophisticated commercial artist, dumps her philandering boyfriend (weasly-faced Monroe Owsley as… what else? an irresponsible party boy) for a novelist (charmingly played by Ben Lyon), only to discover months later that her innocent younger sister (Barbara Kent) is now engaged to the cad, whereupon she plots to undo the union. Inserted into this rather unexciting scenario are two good DeSylva, Brown & Henderson numbers, both sung by Swanson ("If You Haven't Got Love" and "Come to Me," the latter sung twice); the music to "One More Time" is heard in a night club scene. If this seems odd for a straight comedy-drama, the reason is that DBH originally wrote the script as a musical. Too bad their plan didn't pan out. Swanson commands the screen but some of the situations she is required to play have dated badly. There are a couple of cute bits of slapstick worked in at a breakfast gathering and a ship's deck, but it's mostly routine and worth a look and listen only if you're a fan of any of the stars or if you like DeSylva-Brown and Henderson songs.