The Love Trap (1929)

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

John B. Clymer (continuity)
Albert DeMond (titles)

Release Date:

4 August 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Bedroom

Cast

Laura La Plante	...	Evelyn Todd
Neil Hamilton	...	Peter Harrington
Robert Ellis	...	Guy Emory
Jocelyn Lee	...	Bunny
Norman Trevor	...	Judge Harrington
Clarissa Selwynne	...	Mrs. Harrington
Rita La Roy	...	Mary Harrington

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (talking sequences)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Unremarkable part-talkie despite Wyler's direction

This is quite a tame and rather boring little film - one expected more, considering the great William Wyler was at the helm - he learned a great deal between this 1929 outing and his first masterpiece, DODSWORTH, in 1936.

The plot is simplistic. Laura, a dancer and would-be actress, is fired from a musical and since she needs the money, accepts her friend's invite to a party of swells, where she will make some dough just for showing up. A well-to-do cad at the party attempts to seduce her and this is observed by Judge Cadwallader, whom Laura has attempted to flirt with. When Laura is thrown out of her apartment she is rescued by a passerby, Peter Cadwallader, who marries her in a whirlwind affair. When his mother and sister return from Europe and meet Laura, they are put off by her lowly status, but when his uncle blatantly accuses her on circumstantial evidence, of being a whore, she is deeply wounded. She decides she will stage a seduction of the Judge to get even.

The film is silent with continuous music and sound effects for 45 minutes of its 69 minute running time. The final 24 minutes are talking with no music, except for the end title.

The film's pacing is okay and LaPlante and Hamilton make appealing young lovers with sparkling personalities - until they begin speaking. Although Hamilton was to learn quickly and go on in his film career (he had shown much promise in the silent AMERICA), LaPlante, who can't act verbally at all, quickly disappeared from talking film.

This is worth watching for fans of the stars but it's rather a mediocre film in all. Odd it survived in such superb condition as most part-talkies disappeared, along with their Vitaphone discs.