Bill of Divorcement, A (1932)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
After years in a mental hospital, a man (John Barrymore) returns to his wife (Billie Burke) and daughter (katharine Hepburn) but he doesn't realize the wife has gotten a divorce. I was really shocked to see how much I enjoyed this film from director George Cukor. Some moments are heavy handled but other than that I found this to be the perfect little drama. The highlight is certainly the performance by Barrymore, which is one of the best I've seen from him. He plays it straight for the most part and manages to be quite touching during several scenes. When he has to go over the top, ala insane, that comes off very well too. Burke is good as well and Hepburn, in her screen debut, really shines. David Manners of Dracula fame gives a good performance as well.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
After years in a mental hospital, a man (John Barrymore) returns to his wife (Billie Burke) and daughter (katharine Hepburn) but he doesn't realize the wife has gotten a divorce. I was really shocked to see how much I enjoyed this film from director George Cukor. Some moments are heavy handled but other than that I found this to be the perfect little drama. The highlight is certainly the performance by Barrymore, which is one of the best I've seen from him. He plays it straight for the most part and manages to be quite touching during several scenes. When he has to go over the top, ala insane, that comes off very well too. Burke is good as well and Hepburn, in her screen debut, really shines. David Manners of Dracula fame gives a good performance as well.