Monday, August 16, 2021
- Commentary: I have problems with this movie, which is why I recently acquired it. I've read it described as the account of the dissolution of a marriage. I see it as a male representation of good reasons to leave one relationship with a female and take on another based on how he perceives his importance to any female in particular. From my perspective, his wife's "problem" is that she wants more lavish attention and wants her and her husband, both, to pursue her agenda. She even says this in the film, and he goes along with this, for awhile. However, he begins to chaffe when he can't seem to provide the attention or enjoy the agenda she wants. His solution is to turn to a woman who wants to lavish attention on him and longs to be a part of some man's need for attention and the right to have both of them pursue his agenda. This other woman is, as she describes herself, "drifting". This is exactly the kind of partner he needs. As well, it is probably the kind of partner his wife was earlier in their marriage.
In essence, I think this movie was made from a completely male perspective. The man has a right to expect his woman's complete involvement in his life. That's what she's supposed to do. The woman is supposed to want a man to define the trajectory of her life. That is what he has a right to expect. If the woman balks at this, there's something wrong with her. There is nothing, however, wrong with a man who expects this devotion and leaves if he doesn't get it. There is something wrong with a woman who expects the same devotion and leaves, or flirts with leaving, if she doesn't get it.
Wyler, and, perhaps, Sinclair Lewis, wants us to believe that a fear of aging is the crux of the issue for Dodsworth's wife. This is even neatly alluded to in the short confrontation Dodsworth's wife has with the woman waiting in the wings for Dodsworth. The woman-in-waiting even refers to herself as older and wiser and counsels Dodsworth's wife, "Don't do it," referring to the wife's desire to play with another man outside of her marriage. No one, of course, counsels Dodsworth not to play with another woman outside of his marriage. The story is fashioned to make it look like Dodsworth is being pushed away. But, who's doing the pushing and who's doing the pulling?
Two By the Ways:
- Robert Osborne (I sure miss him) named this movie his favorite film.
- Here's a quickie excerpt about this movie from a 2019 article on RogerEbert.com:
"'Uncut Gems' may have gotten more attention as the festival’s secret screening, but another movie premiere managed to get enough buzz that it unexpectedly played in Alice Tully Hall. It even got an introduction by Oscar-winning writer/director Kenneth Lonergan, who also did a Q&A with William Wyler’s daughters afterward. The gorgeous new restoration of Wyler’s 'Dodsworth' drew a crowd that filled a good amount of the festival’s biggest venue, and on a Thursday night at 9pm, to boot. Not bad for a film made in 1936 and starring John’s dad Walter Huston as the hero of Sinclair Lewis’ novel. Adapted by Sidney Howard, who also penned the play version Huston did on Broadway, 'Dodsworth' is a surprisingly adult (for 1936) look at the dissolution of a 20-year marriage between a much older man and his decades younger wife. It would make a good companion piece with 'Marriage Story,' a less effective, though still decently rendered look at a disintegrating marriage, especially because I had problems with the performances by the actresses who played the wives.
"As the younger Mrs. Dodsworth battling her fears of getting old before her wild oats are fully sown, Ruth Chatterton is an acquired taste. She’s the villain of the piece, and her acting style is vastly different than Huston’s or even Mary Astor, here in an unexpectedly sympathetic role. As good as the film is—and it’s very good—I found Chatterton’s penchant for going big something of a nerve-grating distraction. However, Wyler uses this as a good contrast between her character and Huston’s more stoic portrayal as her soon-to-be ex-husband. They become kind of a yin and a yang, with Astor being the neutral surrounding element that allows everything to click into place. It’s easy to see why Lonergan called this his favorite movie of all time; his work also tends to be this brutally honest while understanding both sides of the situation."
Well, I, personally, wouldn't say that this movie presents an "understanding" of "both sides of the situation." I think it subtly (sometimes not so subtly) presents a demonization of one side of the situation (Mrs. Dodsworth's) and a glorification of the other side of the situation (Mr. Dodsworth's). Before rewatching the movie (I had last seen it long ago, preceding last night's watching) I remembered being sympathetic to Mr. Dodsworth. After watching it last night, well, let's just say, while I consider that Mrs. Dodsworth seems silly in her behavior, maybe she's actually frustrated and in a position to receive no help in alleviating that frustration. Thus, her behavior becomes desperate and ill-considered.
In addition, I did a little research this morning and discovered that, while polyandry (a woman having multiple husbands) is not widely accepted, it is acceptable in a (very) small portion of human cultures and a much wider variety of non-human cultures. With this information, and upon further thought, I realized that, in the end, Mrs. Dodsworth did not consider polyandry because her culture forbids this, including her personal morality and ethics which are, of course, shaped by one's lived-in culture. If it, and she, and Mr. Dodsworth hadn't been living in the culture they were in, there probably would never have been written a book or a screenplay on the Dodsworth couple because there would have been no conflict. Pretty sobering realization. It makes sense, then, that the two people who, in the excerpt above, claim this movie as their favorite film are men. To quote Dottie in The Group "Who'da thunk it," right?
| Actor |
Role |
Actor |
Role |
Actor |
Role |
Actor |
Role |
| Walter Huston |
Sam Dodsworth |
Ruth Chatterton |
Fran Dodsworth |
Paul Lukas |
Arnold Iselin |
Mary Astor |
Edith Cortwright |
| David Niven |
Captain Lockert |
Gregory Gaye |
Kurt Von Obersdorf |
Maria Ouspenskaya |
Baroness Von Obersdorf |
Odette Myrtil |
Renée De Penable |
| Spring Byington |
Matey Pearson |
Harlan Briggs |
Tubby Pearson |
Katherine Marlowe |
Emily |
John Payne |
Harry |
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1936
Directed by William Wyler.
# posted by gail @ 18:57 email...
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All material copyright at time of posting by Gail Rae Hudson
