Poseidon-3 Review of The Shining Hour

The Shining Hour (1938)

Fairly ludicrous and overstated and thus immensely enjoyable!

[10 January 2008]

Perhaps some audience members found this dramatic and sophisticated in 1938 (though that is questionable), but today this Crawford vehicle is entertaining for entirely different reasons, its camp value, its sets and costumes and its snippy dialogue. Crawford (in an ironically autobiographical role) plays a girl from a low-income background who has reinvented herself as a cosmopolitan dancer, complete with smashing wardrobe, deluxe apartment and affected accent and manner. When Douglas, heir and head of a major farm, falls for her and needles her into marrying him, she is transported to the country where she is faced with scrutinizing brother-in-law Young, his kind, but demure, wife Sullavan and downright hostile sister-in-law Bainter who doesn't even let her get in the door before the remarks start flying! Crawford has devoted Douglas and even more devoted maid McDaniel on her side (as well as easily-impressed Sullavan), but Bainter is in a power position and tends to ride roughshod over the others. When Young changes from judge to admirer where Crawford's concerned and she begins to reciprocate those feelings, there's a lot of trouble in store for everyone. Crawford has many fine moments here along with many loving close-ups. She's hardly an elegant enough dancer, despite her history as a Charleston champ, to warrant all the fuss she's given in the early part of the film, but she gives a stalwart, concerned performance. Her second-to-last outfit has the type of shoulder pads that she soon became infamous for (perhaps to allow her male stunt double a little bit of visual leeway?) Sullavan, often shrouded in softer focus than Crawford, is likable and natural. It's interesting to watch the Queen of controlled artifice square off against the stage-trained emotiveness of Sullavan and, when it comes to commanding the screen, it's pretty much a draw. She is generally effective up until her completely ludicrous final scene, which can't help but elicit giggles thanks to the preposterous handling, styling-wise. It's a wonder Claude Rains didn't enter the room and make a play for her! Douglas is appealing throughout, though perhaps a bit more backbone might have been desired in his character, especially with regards to Bainter and primarily with her during the denouement! Young tries hard and does well, but simply does not have the looks or the magnetism to inspire the type of passionate feelings that Crawford and Sullavan are meant to have for him. Not only does he not resemble a sibling of Douglas or Bainter, but also he just isn't a figure that would get the ladies this heated up, especially when some of his pertinent close-ups suggest a crossed-eye. Bainter gets a rare chance to play a bitch on wheels and savors it. Her character has severe and mostly unjustified mood swings, the side effect of a very unevenly written script, rendering her character nearly unplayable, but she gives her lines delicious nastiness and condescension. Her face-offs with Crawford are a highlight. McDaniel is typically enjoyable as a dot of comic relief. A year later, she'd be cuddling an Oscar for her role in "Gone With the Wind". This film heavily echoes 1933's "The Silver Cord" and it's often easy to forget that Bainter is Douglas and Young's sister and not their mother. The storyline seems to be missing key moments that would explain radical changes in the characters' feelings, but it remains compelling nonetheless. The parade of sometimes overly frilly Adrian gowns, the detailed and nicely appointed sets, the overripe dialogue and the verbal cat-fights between the characters make this a high camp masterpiece, never more so than when Young enters Sullavan's room near the finale. One woozy drinking game could be played by downing a shot every time a character refers to how hot it is, though they are always weighted down with heavy clothes!