Review of The Divorcee (1930) by Orlok W — 12 Feb 2015

'THE Divorcée' was created in the first wave of "all talking pictures," an era in which directors, writers, and actors often struggled to find styles appropriate to the new technology.

At the time, it was hailed as a masterpiece of realism; today, however, it is a film more often discussed than actually seen. The film is "pre-code," which is to say that it was made during a handful of years in the early 1930s when Hollywood's self-censorship was more the subject of jokes than of reality, and THE Divorcée was among the first Hollywood talkies to openly address both female sexuality and the sexual double standard.

.. Norma Shearer's Oscar winning performance--OK, it's in black and white and if you're used to computer animation and pyrotechnics, it'll seem "different." It is sensitive, insightful and mirrors some of real life's difficult lessons.

The fact that it was made in 1930 and is still as good as it was, is a testimony to the screenplay and the underlying themes... Shearer Out to Prove the Unfairness of the Double Standard to Her Philandering Husband!!