Another Language

Rose Franken, now forgotten, was an estimable playwright of the first half of the 20th century, one of the very few women to reliably write Broadway hits. This is one such hit, a 1932 drama faithfully filmed with much of the original cast, with dialog neatly refashioned by two of MGM's best screenwriters, Herman Mankiewicz and Donald Ogden Stewart. Franken wrote particularly well about family dynamics, and that's pretty much all this is, the story of young marrieds threatened by the groom's unquestioning domination by a catty, conservative family, most especially his horror of a mother, well played by Louise Closser Hale. He's not an especially likable hero, often petty, self-centered, and domineering toward his wife, and Montgomery isn't afraid to emphasize his less attractive traits. So Helen Hayes is left to suffer quietly, trying to maintain her composure as his relatives mercilessly nitpick at her, and crushed every time she attempts to fight back. Hayes is, as usual, sexless, but she effectively catches this woman's desperation, and she partners well with John Beal, quite touching as the nephew who falls in love with her. (What happens to him? After his final exit, I expected to hear an offstage gunshot.) It's economical, swift storytelling, with a bunch of good character actors in support, and their portrayals, thanks largely to the writing, are well-rounded-- nobody's totally awful, except Louise Closser Hale's grasping mama.

A young couple who've eloped (Robert Montgomery and Helen Hayes) return to New York and begin spending time with his family - his parents, two brothers and their wives, and his nephew. It slowly turns into a nightmare for her, because the mother is manipulative of her son, the sisters-in-law mix in cutting remarks with their pleasantries, and one of the brothers-in-law is an immature bore (one of the things he does is surprise women by running his hand along their back and making a slide whistle sound).

Her marriage begins to deteriorate because her husband sides with his family in their assessment that she's "high hatting" them. While it's true that she's more worldly and refined, she doesn't look down her nose at them at all, and in reality suffers from their barbs at the weekly get togethers. Enter the nephew (John Beal), who is also a bit of an outcast in the family, because he's interested in things like architecture and travel. He soon develops feelings for his aunt that go beyond normal affection, but despite her own unhappiness, she reminds him of how inappropriate it is.

You might divine that this is a pre-Code film because it deals with the incestual love a nephew has for his aunt, which, even if it isn't by blood, is obviously a taboo subject, or maybe because of a scene with a female model in the background of a sculpting class draped with thin sheer fabric. Despite how salacious it sounds (or how production stills show the model from the side, close-up and almost entirely nude), it feels pre-Code mostly because of how honest it is. There is such a realistic portrayal of the family's passive aggressiveness here that it's very frustrating and claustrophobic, and the script has a tight, very modern feel to it, particularly in the ensemble scenes.

I love Margaret Hamilton in this as one of the sister-in-laws, and Helen Hayes is as radiant as ever. Louise Closser Hale is great as the mother too, even if the character is irritating, and it's notable that it was her last film, as she would die at 60 two days before the film was released. It zips along at 77 minutes, never lagging, and while I wish it had ended a little differently, it made for a satisfying watch.

These non politically correct movies are the most enjoyable. Although his comedy is best, Robert Monty's drama skills are put to good use in this romantic drama. Snobby family versus down-to-earth daughter in law is predictable but it still works.

Trouble with the in laws? Try spending an hour and fifteen minutes with the Hallam clan. I guarantee that they'll make your spouse's folks look delightfully eccentric. In other words, this is a wonderful study in reverse snobbery (The Hallams think their son's wife is "high hat" while it is they who act superior), casual social cruelty (the constant digs, disguised as offhand remarks, at the daughter in law's dress and manner and way of life), and sheer annoyance, from the constant stream of banal gossip to the mother in law's strategic fainting to the brother in law's stupid jokes and even lamer pranks.

So, great social satire that, in the hands of two of 1930 and 40s Hollywood's best scribes, Herman Mankewiecz and Donald O Stewart, at times rivals Sinclair Lewis or Kaufman/Hart. And the performances aint bad, either. Especially good are Louise Closser Hale as the long suffering (and doesn't she let you know it!) matriarch of the Hallams, Henry Travers as her weak but much nicer husband, Margaret Hamilton as the wasp tongued, faintly sympathetic sister in law and Hal K Dawson as the brother in law you'd love to punch (surprised it didn't happen). As the married couple who must put up with the above Robert Montgomery and Helen Hayes are fine, especially Hayes in one of her more restrained acting turns. The only performance that strikes me as wooden or clunky is that of John Beal as the rebellious, artistic nephew, but then he is given the flattest of Mank and Stewart's otherwise sharp dialogue. Biggest weakness in the film, though, is neither the writing nor the acting but director Edward Griffith's inability to seem to have any idea that there is such a thing as visual comedy. (i.e. Film's fairly stiff/stagey). Give it a B.

"Another Language" works because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts - and that is not meant to insult the parts. Robert Montgomery plays multiple roles, and he plays them all well: sometimes a genuinely caring husband, sometimes a stand-offish snob, and sometimes a superior bully. It's as if he was doing a greatest hits part.

It is Helen Hayes, however, in one her rare film appearances, who shines out a little more than everyone else. She was really a fine actress, here playing the increasingly isolated and desperate wife of Robert Montgomery, the victim of a squeezing out instigated by Montgomery's petty family. Interesting how at one point one of his "sister-in-laws" suggests that Hayes is "not even that pretty". I guess she really wasn't particularly so, her eyes in particular seemingly too far apart.

But the script moves along delightfully. The ensemble scenes, of which there are many, bringing all 10 or so characters on screen at one time, are surprisingly fun. This is because the writers have managed to accomplish something quite difficult, in allowing the different character's personalities slowly to come through. None of them is all good, but none of them is really all bad, though as a group they are intimidating to poor Helen Hayes.

Even Margaret Hamilton, made up and dressed up to be especially homely, who appears to be the nastiest of the women, shows a little humanity at times - but it is never overdone. A nice touch.

But Henry Travers, as the kindly father, is a source of frustration for the viewer: he knows the games that everyone is playing, and is genuinely sympathetic to Hayes, yet he never actually speaks up for her. This weakness is all the more irksome because it is his wife, the manipulative matriarch (played quite well by Louise Hale), with her many fake fainting spells, who is the cause of the film's discord, and though he is not afraid of her, he never helps out either.

An interesting film, and not as predictable as it might seem.