The Private Life of Don Juan (1934)

What do women want? Don Juan is aging. He's arrived secretly in Seville after a 20 year absence. His wife Dolores, whom he hasn't lived with in five years, still loves him. He refuses to ... See full summary »

Director:

Alexander Korda

Writers:

Henry Bataille (play), Frederick Lonsdale (story),

Stars:

Douglas Fairbanks, Merle Oberon, Bruce Winston

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Douglas Fairbanks	...	Don Juan
Merle Oberon	...	Antonita, a Dancer of Passionate Temperament
Bruce Winston	...	Manager of The Black Cat
Benita Hume	...	Dona Dolores, a Lady of Mystery
Gina Malo	...	Pepita, Another Dancer of Equal Temperament
Binnie Barnes	...	Rosita, a Maid Pure and Simple
Melville Cooper	...	Leporello
Owen Nares	...	Antonio Martinez, an Actor as Actors Go
Heather Thatcher	...	Anna Dora, an Actress as Actresses Go
Diana Napier	...	A Lady of Sentiment
Joan Gardner	...	Carmen, a Young Lady of Romance
Gibson Gowland	...	Don Alfredo, Carmen's Poor Husband
Barry MacKay	...	Rodrigo, the Impostor, a Man of Romance (as Barry Mackay)
Claud Allister	...	The Duke, as Dukes Go (as Claude Allister)
Athene Seyler	...	Theresa, the Innkeeper, a Middle Aged Lady of Young Sentiment

Storyline

What do women want? Don Juan is aging. He's arrived secretly in Seville after a 20 year absence. His wife Dolores, whom he hasn't lived with in five years, still loves him. He refuses to see her; he fears the life of a husband. She has bought his debts and will remand him to jail for two years if he won't come to her. Meanwhile, an impostor is climbing the balconies of Seville claiming to be Don Juan. When a jealous husband kills him, the real Don Juan sees a way to avoid jail and get some peace. He hides as Captain Mariano in a small town. After six months, he's ready to return to society: can he measure up to the legend, will women find him attractive, and what about Doña Dolores?

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Plot Keywords:

jail | aging | balcony | assumed identity | romantic rivalry | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 November 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Don Juan

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Don Juan was a real person named Miguel de Manara. In the movie, Douglas Fairbanks writes a note and signs it with that name.

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Quotes

The Impostor: Is it true he had eight hundred and fifty-seven affairs in three years?
Leporello: To be exact, nine hundred and three.

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Crazy Credits

Lengthy, humorous and accurate role descriptions are listed for each character in the opening credits.

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Connections

Version of Don Juan (1926)

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Soundtracks

"The Don Juan Serenade"
(1934)
(Published in Great Britain with title "Senorita Carmencita")
Music by Mischa Spoliansky
Lyrics Arthur Wimperis
Performed by John Brownlee
Played as background music often

User Reviews

Fairbanks Goes Out in Style

Legendary lover Douglas Fairbanks (as Don Juan) feels the fatigue of advancing years; so, the ageing lady-killer takes advantage of a misunderstanding, and fakes his own death. After a rest, Mr. Fairbanks tries to return to his amorous ways; but, nobody believes he's the real Don Juan. Through it all, Fairbanks fans both new (Merle Oberon as Antonita) and old (Benita Hume as Dona Dolores) flames.

A look at the credits of "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (1933) will reveal what filmmaker Alexander Korda had in mind - obviously, with "Don Juan", he hoped to duplicate the success of the earlier "Henry VIII". Unfortunately, this similarly staged "Private Life" found itself coming up short, and is significantly more lowly regarded. Indeed, it is a flat film. Moreover, the supporting cast is introduced in a confusing manner; it's difficult to keep track of who's who.

In his last film role, Fairbanks is terrific as an ageing "Don Juan". Interestingly, he succeeds in eliciting the feeling he memorably portrayed "Don Juan" sometime during his 1920s box office reign. Not so, the famed womanizer was played, in fact, by John Barrymore; and, in spirit, by Rudolph Valentino. Still, Fairbanks makes the role personal; undoubtedly, his status as an fading film superstar helped.

Fairbanks' best scene occurs about a half hour in, when he is informed of his character's "death" via the sword of Gibson Gowland (as Don Alfredo). Fairbanks pretends to be his character's mourning steward; then, he offers some interesting, likely personal, observations on fame. This is followed by a nice funeral sequence, revealing much about the famed lady-killer's escapades. Barry Mackay's deftly inept portrayal as a wannabe Juan is worth noting; his "inability" to leap effectively contracts Fairbanks' ageing gracefulness.

******* The Private Life of Don Juan (8/28/34) Alexander Korda ~ Douglas Fairbanks, Merle Oberon, Benita Hume