The Circle by Somerset Maugham is one of those dated stories of adultery among the upper classes of England where no one behaves much like a recognizable human being (see Maugham's charming and more satisfying The Constant Wife). This stage to screen adaptation succeeds more than expected, largely because of intelligent direction by Frank Borzage and a great performance by supporting player Eugenie Besserer. Lead actress Eleanor Boardman is a beauty but at a disadvantage in a story that cannot take advantage of her naturalistic style. The real reason to see this movie is the terrific performance of Eugene Besserer as Lady Catherine, who ran away from her marriage 30 years before and is only now being reunited with her adult son (her younger self is played, fleetingly, by Joan Crawford). Brought back to the estate to see if "forbidden love" can endure, she sails back in as an aging flapper in a bountiful blonde wig. A confrontation with a photo of her younger self gives her the oppotunity for a bit of pathos, which she exploits beautifully. Besserer would earn a place in history a few years later as Al Jolson's mother in the groundbreaking sound film, The Jazz Singer, in which Jolson improvised the first dialogue heard in film in a scene with her.
The Circle manages some nifty physical comedy, such as the scene where the concerned family is steathily trying to separate their father from his shotgun. Many a scene like this depends on the style of the play -- stiff upper lip and so forth -- so modern audiences may be a bit puzzled. And even more puzzled by Boardman's character loving her man because he threatens to punch her in the eye.
