Good acting and campy soap opera is a plus for this lengthy trash with class expose of the filthy rich. It's the stuff that movies of the early 1930's were made of: shopgirl or chorus girl meets wealthy man, marries him and has to deal with his formidable mother. Ann-Margret adds another memorable portrayal to her lengthy list in 1980's TV movies as a chorus girl ("Pal Joey" is mentioned as one of her jobs) who falls for "stage door Johnnie" Stephen Elliott and finds herself in constant conflict with his imperious powerful mother, Claudette Colbert.
The marriage is a happy one at first as they do their best to avoid the interference of her family (which includes three snooty sisters), But with contentment comes boredom, and with boredom comes infidelity and eventually leads to tragedy. Actually, the tragedy may or may not be an accident based on a real life situation, with the younger Mrs. Grenville killing Elliott, claiming that she believed him to be an intruder.
Opulent and overstuffed with vintage fashions, cars, antiques and jewelry, fun supporting performances by Elizabeth Ashley and Sian Phillips, and two ravishing leading ladies who look like they're having a ball. Colbert is delightfully passive aggressive, alternately cold and warm, trying to get past her instant dislike, but unable to hide her contempt, and brilliantly managing the scandalous events to her benefit and daughter-in-law's tragic fate. A great way to wrap up her lengthy film career even though she continued to work on stage. The ending is heart wrenching yet brilliantly maneuvered, and thus the intentions are achieved in creating the perfect soap opera with a vintage atmosphere.
The marriage is a happy one at first as they do their best to avoid the interference of her family (which includes three snooty sisters), But with contentment comes boredom, and with boredom comes infidelity and eventually leads to tragedy. Actually, the tragedy may or may not be an accident based on a real life situation, with the younger Mrs. Grenville killing Elliott, claiming that she believed him to be an intruder.
Opulent and overstuffed with vintage fashions, cars, antiques and jewelry, fun supporting performances by Elizabeth Ashley and Sian Phillips, and two ravishing leading ladies who look like they're having a ball. Colbert is delightfully passive aggressive, alternately cold and warm, trying to get past her instant dislike, but unable to hide her contempt, and brilliantly managing the scandalous events to her benefit and daughter-in-law's tragic fate. A great way to wrap up her lengthy film career even though she continued to work on stage. The ending is heart wrenching yet brilliantly maneuvered, and thus the intentions are achieved in creating the perfect soap opera with a vintage atmosphere.