Director: William Wyler
Distributor: United Artists
Top Billed Actors: Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lukas
Won 1 Oscar:
Best Art Direction - Richard Day
Nominated for 6 more:
Outstanding Production - Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Best Director - William Wyler
Best Actor - Walter Huston
Best Supporting Actress - Maria Ouspenskaya
Best Adaptation - Sidney Howard
Best Sound Recording - Thomas T. Moulton
Plot: A retired man takes his wife to Europe; he goes sight-seeing and she goes man-hunting.
Distributor: United Artists
Top Billed Actors: Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lukas
Won 1 Oscar:
Best Art Direction - Richard Day
Nominated for 6 more:
Outstanding Production - Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Best Director - William Wyler
Best Actor - Walter Huston
Best Supporting Actress - Maria Ouspenskaya
Best Adaptation - Sidney Howard
Best Sound Recording - Thomas T. Moulton
Plot: A retired man takes his wife to Europe; he goes sight-seeing and she goes man-hunting.
Along with Best Picture winner The Great Ziegfeld (1936) and the film that won the most awards at the 9th ceremony Anthony Adverse (1936), Dodsworth (1936) was the most nominated film of 1936 with seven. This is director William Wyler's first of his record twelve nominations in the category. It was also selected into the National Film Registry in only its second year of the program. Not only did the film garner these accolades but it was also financially successful as well as it was one of the top 20 at the box office that year. Another few bits of trivia is that Mary Astor was going through a public divorce at the time (she plays a sympathetic divorcee here). There was also chatter that Ruth Chatterton had doubts about her age and she did all she could to combat that. In subsequent ironic fashion, her character as Fran is going through the same struggle.
With both of these women playing characters so close to home, its no wonder why the acting is so superb throughout. Walter Huston's enthusiasm for things he comes to enjoy (such as work, tourism, and a lighthouse near England) is infectious. The keenness he expresses is akin to many a James Stewart performance. He also plays despair when marital issues come to a head. Like many Best Actor nominations, a sizable range is adequately handled. He did, after all, play this role on stage. I really like the depth Chatterton gave to her character as well. Rumor has it that she fought tooth and nail to make her character more vile. Wyler made the correct decision to keep her somewhat sympathetic. Don't get me wrong, her actions speak for themselves and she's definitely the antagonist here, but its not a reach to see the conflict within herself as she tries to not feel like time is passing her by. I also want to comment on the cinematography. This might be the earliest film I've seen to employ a sophisticated "mirror shot." I put that in quotations because I don't think its an actual cinematic term, but its something that lights my fire every time I see it. This is when a mirror is used to show action that is seemingly offscreen - we are seeing characters do something in a mirror rather than directly in front of the camera. It works with the plot here too since it deals with a cheating woman. There is a letter set on fire that is beautifully shot too.
I want to briefly mention the art direction here since it did win the Oscar. I believe the movie was shot on sets, designed by Richard Day, so on the one hand its impressive to have the confines of lavish European hotels brought to life with the interiors. On the other hand, some of the hotel rooms felt a little too similar, no matter what city the couple stayed in. The villa in the third act is beautiful though. If I have to nitpick the story a bit, I would have liked to see a little more development with the relationships of Fran's affairs. We kind of only see the aftermath and/or dance sequence when she's putting her charm on these men. Chatterton does give the character that depth I mentioned above, but I would have liked to see more of her.
Overall, this film excels on so many levels - multiple outstanding performances, cinematic techniques ahead of its time, a marital affair that doesn't bend its will to the Hayes Code, and the inclusion of a busier musical score. Wyler's first director nomination has me raring to get to his next.
My Score: 8/10
With both of these women playing characters so close to home, its no wonder why the acting is so superb throughout. Walter Huston's enthusiasm for things he comes to enjoy (such as work, tourism, and a lighthouse near England) is infectious. The keenness he expresses is akin to many a James Stewart performance. He also plays despair when marital issues come to a head. Like many Best Actor nominations, a sizable range is adequately handled. He did, after all, play this role on stage. I really like the depth Chatterton gave to her character as well. Rumor has it that she fought tooth and nail to make her character more vile. Wyler made the correct decision to keep her somewhat sympathetic. Don't get me wrong, her actions speak for themselves and she's definitely the antagonist here, but its not a reach to see the conflict within herself as she tries to not feel like time is passing her by. I also want to comment on the cinematography. This might be the earliest film I've seen to employ a sophisticated "mirror shot." I put that in quotations because I don't think its an actual cinematic term, but its something that lights my fire every time I see it. This is when a mirror is used to show action that is seemingly offscreen - we are seeing characters do something in a mirror rather than directly in front of the camera. It works with the plot here too since it deals with a cheating woman. There is a letter set on fire that is beautifully shot too.
I want to briefly mention the art direction here since it did win the Oscar. I believe the movie was shot on sets, designed by Richard Day, so on the one hand its impressive to have the confines of lavish European hotels brought to life with the interiors. On the other hand, some of the hotel rooms felt a little too similar, no matter what city the couple stayed in. The villa in the third act is beautiful though. If I have to nitpick the story a bit, I would have liked to see a little more development with the relationships of Fran's affairs. We kind of only see the aftermath and/or dance sequence when she's putting her charm on these men. Chatterton does give the character that depth I mentioned above, but I would have liked to see more of her.
Overall, this film excels on so many levels - multiple outstanding performances, cinematic techniques ahead of its time, a marital affair that doesn't bend its will to the Hayes Code, and the inclusion of a busier musical score. Wyler's first director nomination has me raring to get to his next.
My Score: 8/10