Jealousy (1934) User Reviews

A Movie Revised For the Production Code

[boblipton · 5/10 · 9 December 2019]

George Murphy is a prizefighter. Nancy Carroll is a secretary, working for Donald Cook. Murphy and Miss Carroll are in love, so they get married. Murphy, however, is insanely jealous of Miss Carroll, leading to a tragic conclusion.

It's one of those early movies under the Production Code which clearly have been altered, so that the ending is turned into mush. Until then, however, it's an interesting if improbable story, well directed by Roy Williams Neill, with the sort of interesting cast that Columbia would occasionally put together for their few A pictures, mostly interesting for the uncredited talent, including the Nicholas Brothers, Lucille Ball, Max Asher, and Phil Dunham: talent so new they don't rate a screen credit, or so forgotten they're no more than background fillers. Even the top talent shows the constant turmoil in Hollywood, with Murphy beginning a career, and Miss Carroll, still lovely and talented, past her best days.

As such it is an unremarkable if watchable effort. However, visually there's something interesting going on. Although most of the camerawork is highly competent under the direction of cinematographer John Stumar, there are stirring of what would become film noir standards, with dramatic shadows shown on walls, and the leads shot with prison bars or wire mesh breaking up their images into shattered bits. Film Noir hadn't begun in 1934; even its antecedents in French Poetic Realism had not yet reached its flowering under the direction of artists like Marcel Carné and Julien Duvivier. It would be strands like these visual touches that would become part of Noir's foundation, only not yet.

Perceptive tale about the frailty of the human heart when in 'love'

[ecaulfield · 7/10 · 29 November 2009]

Marriage melodrama, with Nancy Carroll and George Murphy.

You might call this film an early psychological study about jealousy, or the doubt and suspicion in a relationship, which leads to wrongheaded presumptions and conclusions. The film examines jealousy as a perverse nearsightedness that leads one always to assume the worst about one's mate. Jealousy is a notable film in that the male protagonist is able to foresee in stark terms the outcome he can expect if he continues to trust no one but himself. Because of woman's place in society at the time, I wonder if many films before Jealousy had depicted as harsh the consequences for a man caught up in domestic strife caused solely by jealousy.

It is easy to see that expectations (along with insecurity) are the cause of the jealousy problem between Mr. and Mrs. O'Roarke. What is expected of the wife of a jealous spouse, that she will lose all interest in other people, or have nothing more to do with a person of the opposite sex whom her spouse has mistakenly found threatening? These expectations lead the person trying to deal with the jealous spouse to lie because there are certain things her spouse simply cannot be told. He frequently misinterprets the innocent. These expectations are unspoken to the person who is supposed to modify her conduct to please the spouse. The jealous spouse himself may not even be sure what he expects. Since she doesn't know which particular act will be misjudged and lead to an emotional outburst, we watch the wife cover up innocent acts, because her husband could not see them outside the prism of jealousy.

Why do we have such expectations of those we 'love'? Is love a type of ownership? When does the most cherished person become an object? What do people we love owe us?

The strength of this film is that it does not accept the notion that rabid jealousy is something a person is entitled to simply because one is 'in love'. In this film, jealousy is a weakness that one must fight, or one may wind up giving one's life for its indulgence.

All the actors do a fine job, and the film is rather fast-paced.

I wish more film goers were aware of Nancy Carroll, in the way they are about another early 30's Paramount star, the wonderful Carole Lombard. Pretty Ms. Carroll always comes off as warm hearted and classy. I've made an effort to see as many of her films as I can find. I recommend her in 1930's The Devil's Holiday, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award.

Badly written...no doubt about that.

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 27 January 2020]

I love old movies, so I am not thrilled when I watch an old film only to find it stinks...but "Jealousy" simply stinks. It suffers from some fatal flaws...by making the leading lady a sap and the leading man a complete jerk.

Larry (George Murphy) is a professional boxer and a professional idiot. His jealousy seems more important to him than his career and the movie starts with him nearly having to default a match because of this. Instead of preparing for the fight, he's out chasing down his girlfriend, Jo, because he thinks she's cheating on him. Today, Larry would be seen as a guy who needs a restraining order against him. Inexplicably, after apologizing for the 1001st time, Jo (Nancy Carroll) takes him back and they marry!

By this point, Larry is lucky to be able to get any boxing matches due to his being so hot-headed and foolish. Despite this, he gets a second chance and manages to work his way up the ranks. So hat does he do? Yep...he throws it all away due to his jealousy. His wife is meeting with her friend (it's all VERY innocent) when Larry bursts in and beats the snot out of the innocent guy. In the process, the victim pulls out a gun but Larry takes it from him and shoots him twice. Then, he runs off....leaving Jo to take the blame. He eventually returns to clear her...but we are left with wondering WHY. Why should we care about Larry? He's simply vile. And, what about Jo?! Well, she still loves him despite him being a vicious murderer!! Talk about an idiot!! And, idiotic is how all this is...with viewers expected to care about two awful people! Not worth your time and a dopey film from start to finish....and if you think all this is bad, just wait until you get to the surprise ending!!! Oooo, the agony!!!!

It's hard to find sympathy for either character.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 31 May 2019]

This unpleasant pre-code melodrama suffers from two leading characters who are either completely unsympathetic or too gullible for words. Why Nancy Carroll would choose prizefighter George Murphy over honest Donald makes no sense here, and as a result of her deciding to marry Murphy, she ends up in prison possibly waiting for death row. Carroll comes from a fine family (including mother Clara Blandick) who warns her against the violence tempered Murphy (bravely cast against type), but out of the blue, she runs away with him anyway. Cook's return leads to a scuffle between the violent Murphy and Cook, obviously trying to defend Carroll, and before long, Carrol is senselessly on trial for murder. The film's conclusion is a complete cop-out which makes it even all the more ridiculous.

Surviving prints of this film have many sequences with difficult to understand sound, muffled by a lack of exposure over the years. For the most part however, the screenplay is filled with cliches and truly unpleasant characters and never seems to really ring true unlike the bell that makes a passed out Murphy wake up while he's in the ring. Nobody did more suffering on screen in the early 30's then Nancy Carroll (well maybe Sylvia Sidney and Helen Twelvetrees), and she does her best with a thankless role. Murphy, coming off a few hit Broadway musicals, plays an inconsistently written character. You can't really root for someone who is vile for 90% of the movie and a complete contrast for the remaining time. if this film accomplishes anything, it warns anybody who is involved with someone of a jealous and violent nature to get away from them as quickly as possible.

Love is the cause of jealousy

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 4 May 2023]

Dialogue in the movie tells us love is the cause of jealousy. Since George Murphy's character has a jealous streak a mile wide, he must really be in love with pretty Nancy Carroll. But in addition to all of this love and jealous behavior, Murphy exhibits quite a temper.

He knows how to knock the stuffing out of other men, especially in the ring since he's a professional boxer. However, he starts to lose his cool outside the ring, and one evening he slugs Carroll's rich boss (Donald Cook). This is because he is under the impression that Cook, who's regarded as a player, is making Carroll work late hours in order to put the moves on her.

When Murphy decks Cook, it is witnessed by reporters. So it doesn't take long for the incident to find its way into the local papers. Murphy's temper has become legendary. Carroll, not able to handle the stress from their relationship, gives an engagement ring back to Murphy. This only intensifies his hatred against Cook.

All of these early scenes set the proverbial stage for more trouble that will occur. Another altercation between Murphy and Cook takes place, but on this fateful occasion, Murphy's rage against Cook goes too far. It isn't murder, is it? Murphy's career now appears to be over; everything he's been working towards is lost.

Carroll, still in love with the lug, ends up taking the blame. Watching the film, a viewer will figure she's either dumb or just too noble and self-sacrificing. We're supposed to sympathize with her situation.

While the plot is quite unrealistic in spots, the performances of the two leads are quite good. They ground the melodrama with a certain degree of honesty and truth. Nancy Carroll, who reminds me of another popular precode actress named Helen Twelvetrees, has a soulful way of emoting. Her expressions feel authentic.

As for George Murphy, he's just starting out here. But it's easy to see why he became a star. There's a boyish wholesomeness that he projects on screen, conveying a very assured brand of masculinity. He's not the cocky type, and I think most actors in this sort of role would probably play up the alpha male aspects of the character. But Murphy doesn't resort to such obviousness. He's genuine, confident, and he seems to be at ease with his fellow cast. Even though he's playing a jerk!

The end of the film seems a bit off, as if the script had been approved before the production code took affect. But then, because of new restrictions placed on studio filmmaking and the need for a happy ending, our couple somehow overcomes the gargantuan odds against them.

The copy I watched was pretty thrashed, as if it had taken a few beatings from Murphy's fist. I'm jealous of moviegoers who saw a nice looking print in 1934.