A Bill of Divorcement (1932)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Clemence Dane (play)
Howard Estabrook (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 September 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A man, Hilary Fairfield returns home after fifteen years in a mental asylum. However, he finds things are not the way they were when he left.

Plot Keywords:

Guilt | Engagement | Father Daughter Relationship | Lawyer | Aunt

Cast

John Barrymore	...	Hilary Fairfield
Billie Burke	...	Meg Fairfield
David Manners	...	Kit Humphreys
Katharine Hepburn	...	Sydney Fairfield
Paul Cavanagh	...	Gray Meredith
Henry Stephenson	...	Doctor Alliot
Gayle Evers	...	Bassett
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Aunt Hester Fairfield

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #2546) (12 August 1936 for re-release) | Argentina:Atp

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The original play opened in London on 14 March 1921.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Toward the end, when Sidney convinces her mother to leave, she reaches for her mother's coat, and someone off-camera hands it to her. The hands of the crew member are clearly visible.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind (1988) (TV)

Soundtrack:

God Bless the Master of This House

Hepburn's first film

When Hollywood was madly casting the ingénue in "A Bill of Divorcement," they saw many, many tests of actresses but still weren't satisfied. Katharine Hepburn took a look at the test scene and realized immediately why no actress was acceptable - it was a terrible scene. So she did another one and won the role.

Let's just say that Hepburn started her amazing career with amazing good fortune. Her director was the excellent George Cukor, marking the beginning of their marvelous collaboration; and she had the great John Barrymore as a co-star.

The story concerns a man who comes home from an insane asylum only to discover that his daughter has grown up, his wife has divorced him, and she is about to marry someone else. He's as much in love with her as he has always been and can't bear the thought of her leaving him.

Based on a play by Clemence Dane, "A Bill of Divorcement" doesn't hold up today. It's very talky, done in a stagy manner, and melodramatic. Some of the performances are melodramatic as well - it was the beginning of talkies, and many of the actors had not yet adapted to the technique of acting on film, Billie Burke especially. My big quibble with the story is that, due to the times, it can't distinguish between "insanity" and emotional problems or chemical imbalances, which makes the Hepburn character's ultimate sacrifice seem unnecessary.

You can really see in this movie how Katharine Hepburn would have been so unusual to audiences with her angular, athletic body, high cheekbones and austere looks. She once said of Angela Lansbury, "She was unusual in the wrong way, and I was unusual in the right way." It's certainly true. She's quite beautiful and interesting-looking. Ultimately she would tone down her acting. For a first film, she's wonderful.

The star is John Barrymore, who gives a timeless, heart-wrenching performance. What a wonderful actor and what a loss that his last film was made in 1941 and as early as 1938, he was playing his roles drunk.

Recommended definitely for Hepburn aficionados and to see the great John Barrymore being the magnificent actor he was capable of being.