Another Language (1933)

Director:

Edward H. Griffith

Writers:

Rose Franken (play)
Herman J. Mankiewicz (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

28 July 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Stella and Victor, who meet, fall in love and marry soon after meeting in Europe, blissfully sail back to the states to meet Victor's family...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Elopement | New York City | Family Relationships | Artist

Cast

Helen Hayes	...	Stella 'Stell' Hallam
Robert Montgomery	...	Victor Hallam
Louise Closser Hale	...	Mother Hallam
John Beal	...	Jerry Hallam
Henry Travers	...	Pop Hallam
Margaret Hamilton	...	Helen Hallam
Willard Robertson	...	Harry Hallam
Irene Cattell	...	Grace Hallam
Minor Watson	...	Paul Hallam
Hal K. Dawson	...	Walter Hallam
Maidel Turner	...	Etta Hallam
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julia Bejarano	...	Umbrella Peddler (uncredited)
William Farnum	...	C. Forrester (uncredited)
Sherry Hall	...	Purser (uncredited)

Directed by
Edward H. Griffith

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Rose Franken		play
Herman J. Mankiewicz		writer
Gertrude Purcell		adaptation (uncredited)
Donald Ogden Stewart		writer

Produced by
Walter Wanger	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Ray June

Film Editing by
Hugh Wynn

Art Direction by
Fredric Hope

Costume Design by
Adrian		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph M. Newman	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Edwin B. Willis	....	interior decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
Fred Morgan	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
Charles E. Wallace	....	sound recording engineer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Wilbur Bradley	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Milton Brown	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Clarence Sinclair Bull	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Samuel Cohen	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Phil Emery	....	chief grip (uncredited)
Charles Lawton Jr.	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Lou Roberts	....	chief electrician (uncredited)
Dick Wade	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Lester White	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Ernie Leadlay	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)

Music Department
William Axt	....	composer: title music (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1933) (USA) (theatrical) (as Loew's Inc.)

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

"Theater Guild on the Air" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on January 15, 1950 with Helen Hayes reprising her film role.

Quotes:

Mother Hallam:[Victor has left the house against his mother's wishes] Victor! Come back here!
[she swoons]
Pop Hallam:Don't bother to faint, Mom, he can't see you.
Mother Hallam:[suddenly alert, and very irritated] Shut up!

Movie Connections:

Featured in This Side of Heaven (1934)

Soundtrack:

The Wedding of the Painted Doll

I wasn't so impressed by this one...

The film begins with Robert Montgomery and Helen Hayes returning from a honeymoon following a whirlwind courtship and marriage. She is about to meet his family for the first time and she seems to have a sort of foreboding that things will not go well with them. This, to me, is poor writing--while I liked the film, how could Hayes have known this considering she never met the people?!. And, that's what happens--his family is very close but also rather catty and critical of newcomers while smothering of Montgomery--and Montgomery sees none of this. They are not especially welcoming of Hayes and nitpick her. All of this is led by Montgomery's mother--the matriarch and manipulating force in the family. At the same time, Helen's new nephew (John Beal) is unlike the rest of the family. Far from it--instead of being against her like the rest, he's obviously smitten with her. What will become of all this and how can this new marriage take all these external attacks--especially when the husband is clueless and self-absorbed?

I noticed that most of the reviewers really liked this film--and a few loved it. Well, I hate to be the odd man out, but I just didn't see what they saw in "Another Language". I felt that in addition to telegraphing the major conflict in the film it also suffered from several overwrought performances and a difficult to believe ending. It also, at times, was VERY talky. My feeling is that the plot idea's pretty good but that's all. I really think it would have benefited from allowing the problems to occur without forcing them---and this film felt rather contrived.