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Dodsworth (1936)
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Reviews Counted: 16
Fresh: 14
Rotten:2
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: As DODSWORTH begins, the viewer's sympathies are with Fran Dodsworth rather than her slightly stodgy husband. However, this gradually changes. Fran's main concern is holding on to her youth, while... As DODSWORTH begins, the viewer's sympathies are with Fran Dodsworth rather than her slightly stodgy husband. However, this gradually changes. Fran's main concern is holding on to her youth, while Sam tolerates her foibles because he really loves and trusts her. When he tires of Europe, Sam returns to Indiana. Disappointed that Fran is not with him, he believes she will soon follow. However, in a scene beautifully staged by director William Wyler, Sam ends up being wrong. Fran is with the suave Arnold Iselin (Paul Lukas) on the terrace of a villa. He makes her read a letter from Sam. Iselin's response is to set fire to the letter. As it burns, it is caught by a gust of wind. Followed by Wyler's camera, it swirls in the air before turning to ashes on the ground, along with Sam's hopes. DODSWORTH is a beautifully achieved work. Chatterton gives a fine performance; Mary Astor is splendid--with a wonderful moment of joy when she unexpectedly sees Sam again; and Walter Huston, reprising his stage role, is natural, subtle, and moving. [More]
Starring: Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lucas, Mary Astor
Starring: Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lucas, Mary Astor, David Niven, John Payne, Spring Byington, Gregory Gaye, Maria Ouspenskaya, Odette Myrtil
Director: William Wyler
Director: William Wyler
Producer: Samuel Goldwyn
Composer: Alfred Newman
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Reviews for Dodsworth
The smoothly flowing film packs an emotional wallop thanks largely to the endearingly sympathetic performance of the straightforward Walter Huston.
In William Wyler's subtle, beautifully directed marital drama, Walter Huston gives a distinguished performance as an ultra-decent and honest all-American mogul; it's his phony wife, well-played by Ruth Chatterton, who's the Ugly American Abroad.
By far the most sensitive, restrained, and effective piece of direction Wyler ever turned in, the film achieves a measure of greatness through the dignity and depth of Huston's superb interpretation of the plainspoken Yankee.
Huston is superb as the plainspoken Midwestern businessman whose blissful world falls apart. The film remains the most emotionally compelling of Wyler's career.
You may wish that caution had been thrown to the wind and it had been turned into a no-holds-barred comedy.
The film version has done more than justice to Mr. Howard's play, converting a necessarily episodic tale, interrupted by fourteen curtains, into a smooth-flowing narrative of sustained interest, well-defined performance and good talk.
Huston’s flawless performance as Sam Dodsworth is the film’s greatest joy.
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