Dodsworth (1936)

A retired auto manufacturer consents to a European vacation to please his vain wife, who is in denial about her age and uses the trip as a chance to flirt with other men.

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Sinclair Lewis (novel), Sidney Howard (dramatisation),

Stars:

Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lukas

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Walter Huston	...	Sam Dodsworth
Ruth Chatterton	...	Fran Dodsworth
Paul Lukas	...	Arnold Iselin
Mary Astor	...	Mrs. Edith Cortright
Kathryn Marlowe	...	Emily Dodsworth McKee
David Niven	...	Capt. Clyde Lockert
Gregory Gaye	...	Baron Kurt Von Obersdorf
Maria Ouspenskaya	...	Baroness Von Obersdorf (as Mme. Maria Ouspenskaya)
Odette Myrtil	...	Renée De Penable
John Payne	...	Harry McKee (as John Howard Payne)
Spring Byington	...	Matey Pearson
Harlan Briggs	...	Tubby Pearson

Storyline

A bittersweet tale of the increasing estrangement of a retired automobile tycoon and his wife. Increasingly obsessed with maintaining an appearance of youth, she falls in with a crowd of frivolous socialites during their "second honeymoon" European vacation. He, in turn, meets a woman who is everything she is not; self-assured, self-confident, and able to take care of herself.

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Plot Keywords:

vacation | socialite | reconciliation | trip | aging | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German Italian

Release Date:

23 September 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Az élnivágyó asszony

Filming Locations:

Goldwyn Studios, Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Wide Range Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on October 4, 1937 with Walter Huston reprising his film role.

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Goofs

Sam's hand position changes, jumping to the ship's rail.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Secretary: [offscreen] Mr. Dodsworth?
Sam Dodsworth: Yes.
Secretary: The men are ready.

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Connections

Featured in AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to William Wyler (1976)

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Soundtracks

"Auld Lang Syne"
(1788)
Traditional Scottish 17th century music
Lyrics by Robert Burns
Played during the opening scene

User Reviews

Superb classic

It's impossible to do justice to this work, which chronicles the complex breakdown of a long and successful marriage that cannot adjust to new challenges. Unlike many movies of the 1930s with high production values and a feel for old, glamorous Hollywood, the drama remains focused and disciplined. Aside from its subtle analysis of the end of a relationship, the movie does a superb job of contrasting the differences between the new, powerful go-getter culture of 20th-Century America and the more restrained, skeptical traditions of Old Europe. The movie in some ways represents a dialogue between these two cultures, which at time clash, most poignantly when an old Austrian baroness speaks frankly to the wife of an American industrialist. A great overlooked classic.