Dodsworth (1936)

DODSWORTH (1937 Academy Award Winner), directed by William Wyler, stars Walter Huston (1884-1950) in what is rightfully acclaimed to be his best screen performance in a motion picture career that spanned from 1929 until his death in 1950. Recreating the role he originated on Broadway in 1934, and based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis, this Samuel Goldwyn production is a perfectly transferred masterpiece.




Cinema in the '30s was blessed by the presence of some great actors: George Arliss, Frederic March, Jean Hersholt, Paul Muni, John Barrymore, Walter Huston and perhaps a couple of others.

"Dodsworth" stars arguably the greatest of them all, Walter Huston, as a retired automobile manufacturer who wants to enjoy his retirement by traveling the world with his adored wife, Fran (Ruth Chatterton). Fran, however, has become obsessed with youth, which she holds onto ferociously. Once overseas, she flirts, dances and parties (with David Niven and Paul Lukas as willing suitors), refusing to return to the states when the trip has come to an end. Panicked when she learns she's about to become a grandmother, she dyes her hair blonde and takes up with a young German (Gregory Gaye), finally announcing to Sam that she wants a divorce. Dodsworth has to stay in Europe while the divorce is in the works, so he travels alone, eventually running into a woman he and Fran met earlier, Edith (Mary Astor). With Edith, he finds the companionship, the conversation, the easy life, and the kindred spirit he has been missing. When Fran's life predictably is in shambles, she turns to Sam. Can he resist her? Perfectly directed by William Wyler, "Dodsworth," is a magnificent film and timely today as baby boomers chase youth with a determination Fran herself would envy. Just think of the surgeries, the face peels, the liposuctions she could have now! One of the best scenes occurs when Fran meets Edith. When Edith confesses to being 35, Fran replies, "I hope I look as good as you do when I'm 35." Astor is brilliant. She keeps her same lovely smile but registers shock by pausing just a millisecond before saying, "I'm sure you will." Chatterton was about 43 at the time the film was made; Astor was 30. At the end of her leading lady days, Chatterton would return to her stage roots, eventually appear on television and then embark on a very successful writing career. Astor's star was on the ascent. Later on, she would continue in films as a character actress.

Walter Huston gives a straightforward performance as Dodsworth, saying his lines so naturally that you forget you're watching a movie. He IS Dodsworth, and just as he did with the miner in "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" - about as opposite a part as you can get - he slips into the soul of the character and makes us understand him. He doesn't tolerate phonies and isn't interested in pretense. For all of his wealth and worldly achievements, Dodsworth is a simple man who enjoys family, new sites and interests, and the company of his wife, a woman he now realizes is not the person he married.

As the vain and self-absorbed Fran, Ruth Chatterton is wonderful. Toward the end of the film, by more than appearance, she relays the impression that Fran is trying too hard and coming off as cheap. In the scene with Kurt's mother (Maria Ouspenskaya, in her film debut), Fran seems to wither before our very eyes as the Baroness talks about Kurt's need for children and the "difficulties" of an older woman with a young husband. It's a reality check Fran can't bear.

Beautiful Mary Astor is a sublime Edith - classy, warm, and so comfortable in her own shoes. She sees through Fran and knows that she is willing to throw away what Edith herself wants. Her one-word warning to the older woman - "Don't" - is another highlight of the meeting scene. It's a warning Fran doesn't heed.

"Dodsworth" has many themes which still hold up - love, acceptance, relationships, aging with grace - and one which is a little dated, the idea of European sophistication versus American naiveté. This is pointed out by Clyde (Niven) when he makes a pass at Fran and she's insulted. For all her faux sophistication, Fran has the worldliness of a country farmer. Unfortunately for her, she learns to be worldly quickly. Sam, however, holds onto to a bigger worldliness - the need for love, truth, and real substance.