IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.9K
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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.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.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.
- Awards
- 1 win
Bramwell Fletcher
- Gareth
- (uncredited)
Dick French
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Julie Haydon
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Dennis O'Keefe
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Mildred Shay
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDavid O. Selznick and George Cukor disagreed about casting Katharine Hepburn. Cukor had seen Hepburn's screen test and was impressed by the 24-year-old, but Selznick did not like the way she looked and was afraid she would not be well received by audiences. Cukor cast her anyway (beginning what would be a lifelong professional and personal relationship between the two)
- Goofs'Katharine Hepburn' is misspelled in the credits as 'Katherine Hepburn'.
- Quotes
Hilary Fairfield: Do you know what the dead do in Heaven? They sit on their golden chairs and sicken for home.
- Crazy creditsSydney Fairfield is the name of Katharine Hepburn's character in the film, but her name is spelled Sidney in the credits.
- ConnectionsFeatured in David O. Selznick: 'Your New Producer' (1935)
- SoundtracksSilent Night, Holy Night (1818)
(uncredited)
Music by Franz Xaver Gruber
Lyrics by Joseph Mohr
English lyrics anonymous
Sung by carollers on Christmas Eve
Featured review
At the start of A Bill of Divorcement, Billie Burke is hosting a glorious Christmas party for her family and friends. She's celebrating with her fiancé Paul Cavanagh, for they plan to take a vacation at New Year's and marry. Her sister-in-law Elizabeth Patterson disapproves because she still values Billie's first marriage to her brother, John Barrymore. After he came home from the war, John's shell shock devolved into insanity, and he's been in an asylum for fifteen years. When John escapes from the asylum, anxious to reclaim his place in the family, he's in for a rude awakening.
John Barrymore gives a wonderful, heartbreaking performance as the insane patriarch. His emotions are highly volatile and all worn on his sleeve, which fits his character and the situation perfectly. When he first comes home, he chances upon a young woman he believes to be his wife. It's actually Katharine Hepburn, his daughter all grown up, and the two have some very touching emotional scenes together. I don't know why this film was ignored at the Oscars, but it wasn't ignored at the Hot Toasty Rags. This is a very well-acted, well-written, thoughtful piece. Bring your Kleenexes when you sit down for this heavy drama. It might not be clear from the cheerful first scene, but you'll be in for quite a few tears by the end.
John Barrymore gives a wonderful, heartbreaking performance as the insane patriarch. His emotions are highly volatile and all worn on his sleeve, which fits his character and the situation perfectly. When he first comes home, he chances upon a young woman he believes to be his wife. It's actually Katharine Hepburn, his daughter all grown up, and the two have some very touching emotional scenes together. I don't know why this film was ignored at the Oscars, but it wasn't ignored at the Hot Toasty Rags. This is a very well-acted, well-written, thoughtful piece. Bring your Kleenexes when you sit down for this heavy drama. It might not be clear from the cheerful first scene, but you'll be in for quite a few tears by the end.
- HotToastyRag
- Nov 8, 2017
- Permalink
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $300,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 10 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was A Bill of Divorcement (1932) officially released in Canada in English?
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