Of course you have to make concessions to 1930 movies. The story of "The Divorcee" is openly ridiculous, and must have been ridiculous at the time. The leading character was supposed to be a rebel, but if you look closely she is the most conventional woman you can imagine, and her reaction to her husband's infidelity, perfectly naïve and teenagerish. Norma Shearer won an Oscar for one of the most incompetent pieces of acting that I have seen. Only Chester Morris gave a worse performance. The only actor who was really acting was the youthful Robert Montgomery, who created a real, living playboy and gave early proof of the notable actor he would become in pictures like Night Must Fall, The Earl of Chicago and Rage in Heaven to name but a few. Not all 1930 movies were so weak. I recently saw and commented The Big House. What a picture!
Review of The Divorcee
