The Best Picture Blog

Damn it, Janice

The Divorcee
1929 Nominee

100 Words
Everybody loves Jerry…except Ted, her ex-husband of course. It’s that classic conundrum where Ted cheated on his wife and then when she “balanced their accounts,” so to speak, he became insufferable and they divorced. As Jerry finds her new self inside a multitude of other lovers (or perhaps they find themselves inside her, but the steamiest scenes involve literal hand-holding and frankly, that sort of suggestion is too risqué even for the pre-code films of the 1920s). A bit problematic in its attitude toward girls getting even, The Divorcee proves that you should never underestimate a woman on the prowl.

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sheisalittlebit

A little bit of everything

3 responses to “Damn it, Janice”

  1. Galen Humphrey Avatar
    Galen Humphrey

    Pleased to see the depiction of a woman getting some revenge (and satisfaction) post “finding out.”
    Did the film kid glove cheating men or was the ex. depicted as a total cad?
    Thanks for the review.

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    1. sheisalittlebit Avatar
      sheisalittlebit

      Both! I enjoyed the movie, but after she cheats to “balance [their] accounts,” as she puts it, the film treats her ex as a victim even though he started the whole mess in the first place. What I liked is that Norma Shearer is very sympathetic so I was on her side the whole time. 😊

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  2. Suz Avatar
    Suz

    You make her sound like a ‘man-eater’ – as in, “don’t underestimate a woman on the prowl” but she SURE looks like she’s having a marvelous time as a divorcee!

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