Movie Type: Sophisticated Comedy, Comedy of Manners
Themes: Lovers Reunited, Wedding Bells
Main Cast: Norma Shearer, Robert Montgomery, Reginald Denny, Una Merkel, Jean Hersholt
Release Year: 1931
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
Plot
Amanda (Norma Shearer) and Elyot (Robert Montgomery) -- a witty, sophisticated married couple -- divorce and marry other mates. Amanda chooses stuffy Victor (Reginald Denny), while Elyot's selection is the tiresome Sibyl (Una Merkel). Coincidentally, both newlywed couples honeymoon at the same Swiss hotel -- in adjoining suites, in fact. Amanda and Elyot realize anew that the flame of their love has never been extinguished, but when both slip off for a lover's tryst, they fall into their old pattern of ceaseless bickering. When Victor and Sibyl catch up with their erring mates, they themselves begin arguing. Once the point has been made that Amanda and Elyot deserve each other and that Victor and Sibyl are likewise perfectly matched, this elegant comedy of manners draws to a quiet close. A fairly faithful adaptation of the classic Noël Coward stage play (virtually all of the witticisms, notably "Some women should be struck regularly -- like gongs" are left intact, though we truly miss "You're looking lovely in this damned moonlight"), Private Lives is played with such polish and expertise that we're willing to overlook the fact that only one of the four principals (Reginald Denny) is genuinely British. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Based upon one of Noël Coward's wittiest plays, Private Lives is somewhat bowdlerized but still immensely entertaining. In Amanda and Elyot, Coward created a pair of joined-at-the-erotic-hip twins; while there was nothing particularly bawdy about them on-stage, they were still rather too frank (and frankly amoral) to totally withstand the censor's shears on film. Fortunately, the filmmakers were sensitive and judicious in their cutting, with the result that most of the humor -- and more importantly, the flavor -- of the original remains. True, there's a little of the edge missing, but that has more to do with the actors than the adaptation. Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery are slightly too much the movie stars to play the parts with the total honesty that is called for, but their charm, timing, and bearing more than make up for this. Shearer, especially, understands the cadences of Coward's dialogue, but doesn't become enslaved to it. Reginald Denny has Victor's amusing insufferableness down pat, and Una Merkel is a winningly tiresome Sibyl. The movie has been opened up from the stage play, sometimes to good effect, sometimes to little; however, the settings -- especially the glorious Art Deco hotel -- are noteworthy. Sophisticated British comedy is difficult to pull off, but minor flaws aside, this is a winning effort. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Elyot (Robert Montgomery) and Amanda (Norma Shearer) share an uncharacteristically quiet moment
Elyot Chase and Amanda Prynne, divorced after a tempestuous marriage, are dismayed to discover they both have opted to honeymoon with their new spouses at the same hotel on the French Riviera. Elyot finds his bride Sybil's questions about Amanda annoying, while Amanda wishes her new husband Victor would stop referring to Elyot every chance he gets. When Elyot discovers Amanda on the terrace their adjoining suites share, he insists he and Sybil immediately depart for Paris, the same plan Amanda proposes to Victor. The two ex-spouses quarrel with their new mates, both of whom set off in search of peace and quiet.
Left to reminisce, Elyot and Amanda rekindle their relationship with a kiss and make a pact to put an end to any verbal battles when either one utters the name "Solomon Isaacs." The two then abandon and flee to St. Moritz, but before long they begin a spat that evolves into a major fight about a phonograph record, which Amanda breaks over Elyot's head, an action that leads to total destruction of their hotel room. Rushing out, Amanda meets Victor and Sybil, who have tracked down the prodigal duo, and everyone becomes involved in the dispute. Things finally calm down, and the two couples meet for breakfast the next day, but when Victor and Sybil begin to fight, Elyot and Amanda walk out and depart the resort by train.
Production
When Noël Coward's play proved to be a hit both in London and on Broadway, MGM executive Irving Thalberg bought the rights for a film adaptation starring his wife, Norma Shearer. Coward was uncertain if Shearer was capable of handling the sophisticated dialogue of his comedy of manners, but the actress confidently proclaimed, "I don't care what he thinks - he thinks in theater terms - I think in film terms. It doesn't seem to occur to Mr. Coward that we both may turn out to be right!" She personally suggested Robert Montgomery, who already had appeared in three films opposite her, for her co-star.
The studio filmed a performance of the play with Coward and Gertrude Lawrence, which the director and cast closely followed. According to Coward biographer Cole Lesley, the playwright was pleased with the outcome and described the leading performers as "perfectly charming." The film's critical acclaim and financial success proved instrumental in helping Coward sell the film rights to several other plays. [1]
Mordaunt Hall of the New York Times called the film "a swift and witty picture" and "one of the most intelligent comedies that has come to the screen." He added, "Sidney Franklin's direction is excellent and Norma Shearer as Amanda Prynne gives an alert, sharp portrayal . . . Robert Montgomery struggles with matters at the outset, but he soon succeeds in doing well enough with his rôle . . . Una Merkel and Reginald Denny both deserve a great deal of credit for their work." [2]
