Gentleman's Fate

JOHN GILBERT reveals himself to be a credible actor, with a range not demonstrated in some of his other earlier films. He's the son of a dying gangster who ends up getting involved with bootleggers after falling in love with a society girl.

The plot is all over the place with little twists here and there but it seems more like a jumbled mess than a coherent story. But Gilbert rises above the inadequacies of the plotting and gives a persuasive performance as the unhappy bootlegger.

Anita Page and Marie Prevost play gangster molls with some silly dialog for comedy relief. Prevost says something like, "What would this world be without bootleggers?" to demonstrate her lack of sophistication.

It's watchable, mainly to watch John Gilbert with his piercing eyes and handsome demeanor tormented by the fact that his fiancé decides to run off and marry another man. Ironically, in real life, Greta Garbo left him waiting at the altar.

A dying gangster reveals himself as the true father of a young society man, thus turning that GENTLEMAN'S FATE completely upside down...

According to cinematic legend, all the talkie MGM films starring John Gilbert were dreadful - the result of a bitter hatred between Gilbert (the highest paid star in Hollywood, with a $1.5 million contract) & studio boss Louis B. Mayer. A determination on Gilbert's part to fulfill the contract, and a campaign instituted by Mayer to destroy Gilbert's career - including spreading the rumor that Gilbert's voice was 'high & feminine', culminated in several unwatchable movies.

Not entirely true. The Studio had a huge financial investment in Jack Gilbert and was not going to completely cut its own throat by showcasing him in nothing but dreck. However, of the 8 MGM talkies in which he appeared as solo star (1929 - HIS GLORIOUS NIGHT; 1930 - REDEMPTION; WAY FOR A SAILOR; 1931 - GENTLEMAN'S FATE; THE PHANTOM OF Paris; WEST OF Broadway; 1932 - DOWNSTAIRS; 1933 - FAST WORKERS) most, including GENTLEMAN'S FATE, were rather ghastly.

Poor editing, a tawdry story line about unpleasant people, unattractive sets and a depressing climax all work together to sink the film. Poor Gilbert seems deflated, obviously embarrassed by appearing in such a poor film. His rather cold appearance & demeanor make it hard to sympathize with his character. What makes matters worse is that he is continually upstaged by Louis Wolheim, who actually gives a noteworthy performance as Gilbert's older, plug-ugly brother. (That these two could actually be siblings is one of the script's most unbelievable contrivances.)

Two lovely ladies, Leila Hyams & Anita Page, grace the film with their presence, but they are sadly wasted. Their romantic tribulations are meaningless to the audience because it is so difficult to warm up to Gilbert, the object of their affections. Paul Porcasi, Frank Reicher & John Miljan all strive to make their small roles meaningful, but they are largely defeated by the unforgiving script.

Marie Prevost has some good moments as a slatternly moll, but it is very sad to see her scenes with Gilbert. One is inevitably reminded that both their lives would be cut short by acute alcoholism, her final circumstances being especially atrocious.

Finally, about The Voice. There was nothing at all strange or unnaturally high about Gilbert's voice. As a matter of fact, it was of medium range & rather cultured & refined. That was the crux of the problem, of course. While it is possible that no voice could have ever matched the perfect one viewers heard in their minds while watching his strong, virile silent roles, the reality was very different from what they wanted to hear (imagine Robert Montgomery's voice coming out of Clark Gable's mouth.) Gilbert was doomed from his first scene in his debut talkie; his war with Mayer only intensified the agony. He would die in 1936, forgotten by most of his former fans, at the age of only 36.

This film begins with a rich playboy by the name of "Jack Thomas" (John Gilbert) living the life of luxury while also courting a beautiful woman named "Marjorie Channing" (Leila Hyams) who he absolutely adores. His life changes, however, when he is shocked to learn that, rather than being an orphan, his father is alive but in critical condition in New Jersey due to a gunshot wound incurred while operating an illegal bootlegging operation. Not only that, but upon visiting his father he also learns that he has an older brother named "Frank Tomasulo" (Louis Wolheim) who has been taking care of the family business during his father's injury as well. What he isn't prepared for, however, is the reaction from his fiancé when he tries to help his dying father by taking the blame for a crime he did not commit. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I was pleasantly surprised by how good this film turned out to be. For starters, I really liked the performance of John Gilbert who seemed tailor-made for his role. Additionally, having two beautiful actresses like Anita Page (as "Ruth Corrigan") and the aforementioned Leila Hyams certainly didn't hurt either. Be that as it may, although it was definitely a bit dated, I still found this film to be quite enjoyable and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

What on earth is everyone's problem with this movie? It has some awkward movement but so did most movies of this era before Hollywood developed its amazing (and often irritating) slickness. The story is kind of a goofy fantasy as are most movies from since they day they were born to the present moment. This is a really fun movie with a great cast. Anita Page and Marie Provost were great bad girls, especially Provost as the gangland superflooze. George Cooper and John Miljan were very entertaining bad boys. But Louis Walheim was the real gem of the piece, sort of a cross between Shrek and Marie Dressler dressed like a guy. As for John Gilbert , I can see how how this may have been a form of career sabotage because he wasn't able to be nearly as gallant as his public wanted to see him. But he demonstrated great range and his chemistry with the whole cast and particularly with Walheim and Page was wonderful. The dialogue was good and the much of the shooting was visually interesting. Of course it doesn't hurt to be a big fan of pre code gangster movies, Hollywood history, and Depression Era cultural history.

This was MGM's big hope of getting on the Warner Brothers' gangster film bandwagon. Although this turned out to be a reasonable gangster movie which does look very much like a real Warner picture, there's not much emotion to engage you.

Warner's Mervyn LeRoy was loaned to MGM to give this that gritty underworld edginess he had given to LITTLE CEASAR which he'd made a few months earlier. LeRoy certainly succeeds; again he perfectly encapsulates the shabby seedy and constantly dangerous feel of the era. He further enhances this by contrasting it with the upper class society world Jack, played by John Gilbert believed he was born into. It proves that MGM could also make a WB gangster movie but something is missing: it lacks soul.

That emotional disengagement is what would reduce this from 'great' to just 'good.' This film is however not 'good' but just 'ok' and that's because the acting is atrocious, really atrocious. Being made in 1931 is no excuse for bad acting, the style is deliberate and down to the director. Mervyn LeRoy made excellent films so it's ofd that he was so below par with this - especially considering he had a bigger budget than he was used to at Warners - maybe that was the problem? You also wonder whether Jack Warner might have said to his employee, LeRoy, that it might be a good idea if he didn't make this picture for a rival studio quite as good as he could? What is surprising is how little influence Mervyn LeRoy seems to have over how John Gilbert performs. John Gilbert, who was possibly the biggest star of the silent screen so he knew what his fans wanted...or what they wanted five years earlier. You can't teach an old dog new tricks especially when that old dog thinks what it's doing is what is needed and also when it's being paid $10,000 a week to do it. Long moody stares and even longer dramatic pauses don't cut the mustard anymore! Perhaps Mervyn LeRoy was too nervous to risk changing Gilbert's tried and trusted style?

Watching films from 1929/30 you can tell which actors will succeed in the talkies and which ones won't: John Gilbert definitely looks like one that won't. He comes across very much like an actor rather than a real believable character. He's not a bad actor, he's just not suited for this. Someone who is a bad actor is Louis Wolheim. He plays the brother and although it's sad to learn that he died just a few days after filming this, he still is the worst actor in the world. He's truly appalling - well, he is to us in the 21st century. It's interesting to get a peak into the minds of those who were alive then to see what they considered to be good acting.

Personally I'm not much of a fan of LITTLE CAESAR and I didn't actually find this particularly worse. Those are both massively inferior to PUBLIC ENEMY and the the magnificent lesser known Paramount gangster film of 1931, CITY STREETS. This is still worth watching but if you're a fan of thirties gangster films, it's absolutely essential.