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Private Lives
starring: Norma Shearer, Robert Montgomery, Reginald Denny, Una Merkel, Jean Hersholt
directed by: Sidney Franklin

Used Price: $15.00
Collectible Price: $45.00

Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786302593273
Format: Black & White, NTSC
ISBN: 6302593271
Label: MGM (Warner)
Manufacturer: MGM (Warner)
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM (Warner)
Release Date: December 11, 1992
Running Time: 84 minutes
Studio: MGM (Warner)
Theatrical Release Date: December 12, 1931
Sales Rank: 9630

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- One of the best movies about love and marriage of all time, exquisite performance by Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer is superb in this classic, hilarious, devastatingly honest film from the brilliant Noel Coward play. Norma's roots in silent film is read on her face in an exquisite moment early in the scenario, in which she slowly, agonizingly, then tenderly, then with horror, realizes that she and her new husband are located in a hotel suite next door to her ex, and his new bride. The play of emotions on Shearer's face, from shock, to dread, to agonized pain, then tender warmth and remorse, and back to horror and panic about what she must next do, is worthy of an Oscar, in and of itself. This film made me worship Norma Shearer as one of the greatest acting talents, ever. And the play itself is so warm, so realistic, so tender, so honest about the crazed reality of love. The screaming fight ... Read More

Rating:

- Excellent Pre-Code Comedy
This is a thoroughly entertaining, amusing comedy, based upon Noel Coward's famous stage play. Norma Shearer is close to perfection as Amanda and Robert Montgomery is equally good as her ex-husband Elyot, who meet by chance while honeymooning with their respective newly-acquired spouses.

I had expectations about this particular film and they were surpassed by the top-notch material. Norma Shearer looks radiant and is much better suited to this kind of comedic roles than to dramatic ones, in which she sometimes tends to overact (for instance, in "Strange Interlude" a flawed but still worthwhile film).

"Private Lives" must contain one of Norma's best performances ever; she's fresh, lively, with lots of spunk, mischievous, fierce, determined, stubborn, flirtatious, a joy! ... Read More

Rating:

- Memorable But Flawed Version of the Stage Classic
British wit Noel Coward (1899-1973) is best remembered for his wickedly funny comedies. Many, myself included, consider PRIVATE LIVES his single finest work. Opening in 1930 London co-starring Coward and the legendary Gertrude Lawrence, the play not only received tremendous critical acclaim, it also ran more than one hundred performances--something largely unheard of at the time. Moving quickly, MGM snapped up the film rights long before the original run ended and released a film version in 1931.

In the "Pre-Code" era censorship was not a significant issue, and the story follows the original stage play to the letter. After divorcing each other, Elyot and Amanda find themselves honeymooning with new spouses in adjoining hotel suites--and suddenly dessert their new spouses to resume ... Read More

Rating:

- Coward-y Custard
With "Private Lives", MGM production head Irving Thalberg attempted to further the career of his wife, Norma Shearer. He would have done better to put her in another of the naughty drawing-room comedies she was so good at doing. In 1931, it was impossible to put an honest "Private Lives" on film, and the compromises that were made to turn the play into a Shearer vehicle actually sabotaged Norma.

The movie version is "opened up" considerably from the play; screenwriter Hans Kraly threw everything from train trips to mountain-climbing into Coward's two-set comedy. Kraly missed the point Coward was making: that Elyot and Amanda's world is themselves alone. Staging some of their famous fights in public made them look pathetically in need of professional help, not inextricably bound to one another. ... Read More

Rating:

- Strangely Potent
Well, it ain't Noel and Gerty, but it ain't bad, either. Long regarded as a pale imitation of the West End and Broadway original (which MGM helpfully filmed so Mrs. Thalberg could study Lawrence's effects at leisure), all these years down the road the film version stands on its own pretty legs. Nice comic playing from Montgomery and a really fine performance from Norma Shearer (if only she'd been this light in THE WOMEN, that movie would be a half-hour shorter!) Fun to compare this to the play; both the opening-up and the dance around the censors find some happy solutions. Plenty to enjoy here.

VHS : Private Lives