Review of Strange Interlude (1932) by Nefnie L — 29 Aug 2009

This movie was based on a play by Eugene O'Neill and probably worked much better as a play. The movie, despite such heavy-hitters as Gable, Shearer, and Robson, came across as an annoying soap-opera. The story bumps up the usual love-triangle into a quadrangle, which one could probably find flipping through day-time t.v. Even the actors, aside from the brief appearance of Robson, come across as daytime soap stars. The problem begins with the thought-dialogue that we get to hear, so we know what each of the characters are thinking. While said dialogue is in progress, the actors are standing there with weird, melodramatic looks on their faces.

The upside to this movie? The cosmetic artistry used to age the characters was impressive.