Dodsworth (1936)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
One of the finest films of the 1930's, this classic Samuel Goldwyn production was based upon the hit Broadway play written by Sidney Howard, which had in turn been adapted from the 1929 novel by Sinclair Lewis. Ahead of it's time in dramatizing the disintegration of a marriage, the story centers on the title character, Samuel 'Sam' Dodsworth (superbly played by Walter Huston, who originated his role onstage), a wealthy automobile manufacturer whose wife Fran (Ruth Chatterton, in her final American film role) desperately craves an aristocratic lifestyle in Europe. 'Dodsworth' indulges her fancies to a degree, but their clashing desires-compounded by her affair with a European baron Tubby Pearson (Harlan Briggs) and his affection for a sympathetic widow Edith Cortright (Mary Astor) - create further tension and mutual rancor. 'Dodsworth' was perhaps the first Hollywood drama of the sound era that maturely addressed the complexity of a failing marriage and impending divorce, made especially compelling since 'Dodsworth' is such an admirable and upstanding character who means well and upholds the ideal of marital commitment. - Actors:
- Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lukas, Mary Astor, David Niven, Gregory Gaye, Maria Ouspenskaya, Odette Myrtil, Spring Byington, Harlan Briggs, Kathryn Marlowe, John Payne, Bobby Barber, John Barclay, Wilson Benge, Ted Billings, Eugene Borden, Horace B. Carpenter, Steve Carruthers, Gino Corrado
- Directors:
- William Wyler
- Producers:
- Samuel Goldwyn
- Writers:
- Sinclair Lewis, Sidney Howard, Robert Wyler
- Others:
- Richard Day, Thomas T. Moulton
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
- Collections:
- The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to William Wyler
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- Not released
- Run Time:
- 105 minutes
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Reviews (1) of Dodsworth
Love on the Liner, Divorce in Slow Motion - Dodsworth review by griggs
For something made in 1936, this caught me off guard by feeling familiar. Not with a row, but with that slow “when did we become polite roommates?” drift. Wyler directs like a man allergic to fuss: he places people in rooms and lets the gaps between them do the talking. A step back here, a pause too long there, and I felt the relationship coming undone.
It’s glossy in that studio-luxury way — European hotels, ocean-liner poshness — but it never becomes postcard fluff. The shine makes the emptiness louder: you can upgrade the wallpaper, but you can’t redecorate a dead marriage. Walter Huston is warm and grounded as Sam. Ruth Chatterton, stuck with the “wife as problem” part, keeps slipping fear beneath Fran’s flailing. Mary Astor’s Edith is so natural the film seems to exhale whenever she appears.
The film turns judge and jury on the split. Fran’s desire for more is framed as vanity, while Sam’s complacency is framed as maturity. Edith arrives as the approved model: independent, clever, and conveniently low-maintenance. It’s sharp, adult, and directed with such quiet precision you can enjoy it while side-eyeing the sexism.