Private Lives (1931)

Norma Shearer: Amanda

Photos 

Quotes 

• Victor Prynne : He struck you once didn't he?

  Amanda : Oh, more than once.

  Victor Prynne : Where?

  Amanda : Several places.

  Victor Prynne : What a cad!

  Amanda : Ha-ha. I struck him too. Once I broke four gramophone records over his head. It was very satisfying.

• Amanda : [continuing to talk about travelling]  Then the most thrilling thing of all - arriving at strange places, seeing strange people, and eating strange food.

  Elyot : Yes, and making strange noises afterward.

  [Said when Amanda is drinking coffee, she laughs and then starts choking] 

• Elyot : What are you doing here?

  Amanda : I'm on my honeymoon.

  Elyot : How interesting. So am I.

  Amanda : I hope you're enjoying it?

  Elyot : It hasn't started yet.

  Amanda : Neither has mine.

• Elyot : I broke my heart on that trip around the world. I saw such lovely things, darling. Moonlight shining on old temples. Strange barbaric dances in jungle villages. Scarlet flamingoes flying over deep, deep blue water. Breathlessly lovely. And somehow completely unexciting, because you weren't there to see them with me.

  Amanda : Oh, take me now. Take me at once and let's make up for lost time.

• Amanda : I was brought up to believe it was beyond the pale for a man to strike a woman.

  Elyot : A very poor tradition. Certain women should be struck regularly, like gongs.

• Elyot Chase : You're looking very lovely in this infernal moonlight, Amanda. Your skin is clear and cool. And your eyes are shining and you're growing lovelier and lovelier every second as I look at you. You don't hold any mystery for me darling; do you mind? There isn't a particle of you that I don't know, remember - and want.

  Amanda : I'm glad, my sweet.

  Elyot Chase : More than any desire in the world, deep down in my deepest heart, I want you back again. Please.

  Amanda : Don't say any more. You're making me cry, so dreadfully.

  [Kiss] 

• Amanda : No, Elyot. Stop, now. Ha-ha. Stop, darling, please. Stop. Ha-ha.

  Elyot : Why should I stop? You know you adore being made love to.

  Amanda : I know, but, it's - too soon after dinner.

• Amanda : I think very few people are completely normal really, deep down in their private lives. It all depends on a combination of circumstances. If all the various cosmic thingummys fuse at the same moment, and the right spark is struck, there's no knowing what one mightn't do. That was the trouble with Elyot and me, we were like two violent acids bubbling about in a nasty little matrimonial bottle.

• Amanda : Extraordinary how potent cheap music is.

• Elyot Chase : Do you want a cocktail? There are two here.

  Amanda : There are two here too.

  Elyot Chase : Shall we have my two first?

  [handing her a glass] 

  Amanda : Shall we get roaring, screaming drunk?

  Elyot Chase : I don't know. We tried it once before and it was a dismal failure.

  Amanda : It was lovely at the beginning.

  Elyot Chase : You have an immoral memory, Amanda. Here's to you.

• Victor Prynne : You've never had a sister, dead or alive, have you?

  Amanda : I believe there was a still-born one in 1902.

• Elyot : What exactly were you remembering at that moment?

  Amanda : The Palace Hotel skating rink in the morning. Bright, strong sunlight and everybody whirling around in vivid colors. Then, you leaning down to put on my skates for me.

  Elyot : You'd fallen down a few moments before.

  Amanda : Oh, it was horrid of you to laugh at me. I felt so humiliated.

  Elyot : Poor darling.

  Amanda : Do you remember waking up in the morning and standing on the balcony, looking out across the valley?

  Elyot : Blue shadows on white snow. Cleanness, beyond belief. High above everything in the world. How beautiful it was.

  Amanda : Yes. Nice to think we had a few marvelous moments, isn't it?

  Elyot : A few? Why we had heaps, really! Only they slipped into the background and all we remember is the bad ones.

  Amanda : What fools we were to ruin it all! What utter, utter fools!

• Amanda : What have you been doing lately?

  Elyot : Traveling about - I went around the world, you know.

  Amanda : Yes, I know. How was it?

  Elyot : The world?

  Amanda : Yes.

  Elyot : Highly enjoyable.

  Amanda : China must be very interesting?

  Elyot : Very big, China.

  Amanda : And Japan?

  Elyot : Very small.

  Amanda : And did you eat shark's fins and take off your shoes and use chopsticks and everything?

  Elyot : Practically everything...

• Elyot : You know, I believe you're even more ruthless than I am.

  Amanda : [Sleepily]  Well, I don't believe in crying over my bridge until I've eaten it.

  Elyot : Very sensible.

• Amanda : Solomon Isaacs!

• Elyot : Well, we never really discovered what delightful people we were, until after we lost each other.

  Amanda : We are rather nice, aren't we.

• Amanda : Poor, dear Victor. He certainly did love me!

  Elyot : [Sarcastically]  Splendid.

  Amanda : When I met him, I was so lonely and depressed. I felt I was getting old and crumbling away, unwanted.

  Elyot : It certainly is horrid when one begins to crumble.

  Amanda : He used to look at me hopelessly, like a lovely spaniel. I sort of melted like snow in the sunlight.

  Elyot : That must have been an edifying spectacle!

• Amanda : Sollochs!

• Elyot : Delightful parties Lady Bungle always gives, doesn't she?

  Amanda : Oh, entrancing! Such a dear old lady.

  Elyot : And so gay!

• Amanda : Have you known her long?

  Elyot : About four months, we met in a house party in Norfolk.

  Amanda : Very flat, Norfolk.

• Amanda : [as Elyot opens his cigarette case]  Give me one for the love of heaven!

• Victor Prynne : It's no use feeling sorry for yourself.

  Amanda : I seem to be the only one who does, I might as well enjoy it.

• Victor Prynne : Did he see you?

  Amanda : No, he was running.

  Victor Prynne : What was he running for?

  Amanda : How do I know! Stop being so damned annoying!

• Victor Prynne : Where did you see him?

  Amanda : Downstairs, in a white suit.

  Amanda : White suit?

  Victor Prynne : Why not? It's summer isn't it?

• Amanda : [singing]  I'll leave you never, Love you forever, All of my sorrow redeeming. Make it all come true, Make me love you too, Someday I'll find you - again.

• Amanda : I'm sorry too. It's just rotten luck.

• Elyot : We were quite ridiculously - over in love.

  Amanda : To the devil with love!

  Elyot : To the devil with love.

• Amanda : Well, we've certainly had a high ole time.

  Elyot : Cherry, please.

  Amanda : Pig!

• Elyot : I was madly in love with a woman of South Africa.

  Amanda : Did she have ring through her nose?

  Elyot : Don't be revolting!

• Amanda : Making all this fuss because your silly vanity is a little upset.

  Elyot : Vanity, vanity! What on earth do you mean, vanity?

  Amanda : You simply don't realize there are certain moments when our cosmic thingummys don't fuse properly.

  Elyot : Ha! Cosmic thingummy! Would you please, please try and be a little bit more explicit!

  Amanda : You know perfectly well what I mean!

• Amanda : Oh, you insufferable pig!

  Elyot : Darling, Sollochs! Sollochs!

  Amanda : Sollochs, yourself!

  Elyot : You spiteful little beast!

• Amanda : Ah, I do love Switzerland! Don't you? So sweet and clean. And all those mountains so white and high. And the dear cows with their little bells.

  Elyot : Yes, dear, we know.

  Amanda : It's so heavenly being so high up. Won't you sit down?

• Amanda : You are an unmitigated cad and a bully!

  Elyot : And you are an ill-mannered and bad-tempered slattern!

  Amanda : Slattern indeed!

  Elyot : Yes, slattern and fishwife!

• Elyot : Victor had glorious legs, didn't he? And fascinating ears.

  Amanda : Oh don't be silly!

  Elyot : I suppose he looked radiant in the morning, all flushed and tousled on his pillow.

  Amanda : I never saw him on the pillow!

  Elyot : I'm surprised to hear it.

  Amanda : What?

  [they both jump up] 

• Elyot : It doesn't suit women to be promiscuous.

  Amanda : You mean it doesn't suit men for women to be promiscuous.