Dynamite

Thank you Irving Thalberg for the sterling scripts and Cecil B DeMille for your astute direction 75 years ago. I am assuming Thalberg was involved to some extent since MGM was involved. In all this time we haven't made any better movies. This competes with them all. My favorite movies were mostly made in the Thalberg era. I am so sorry your time (Thalberg) was so short lived. And, I still weep for the demise of MGM. MGM really did lose its shine when it lost Thalberg.

This story was complex. The sets were wonderful (I loved the mirror over the bar in the apartment, and the bathtub with the bowl of bath salts). Every actor - no matter how large their role - handled their part convincingly. Several small roles - the little sister, the judge, the girl next door in the mining town, the servants, etc., all deliver performances that make you pay attention. Many scenes stand out. The competition among the women in the 'circle' races (I never saw such contraptions). The little girl clinging to her brother (that little actress did a fine job). The fiance who really was likable and a real stand up guy. I was amused by kitchen scene. The 'modern' way of women dating each other's husbands struck me, and I have seen this as a plot line before in movies of that period. The 'speak easy' preoccupation with drinking lifestyle of the time is an education as is the portrayal of life in the lower classes. Of all the movies I've seen in this time period, I feel this one most closely clues us in on what life was like.