Forsaking All Others

A witty film that benefits mostly from the pairing of Clark Gable and Joan Crawford. After a brisk and entertaining first half, things start to drag a bit when Gable is absent from the screen for a protracted period. Nevertheless, its well worth seeing.

Although the plot didn't sound that special, with it being quite old hat and predictable, there were a couple of interest points. Namely the cast, being somebody who has liked very much a lot of the work of Joan Crawford and Clark Gable individually and Robert Montgomery is good when in the right role. Not to mention Charles Butterworth, Rosalind Russell and Billie Burke. WS Van Dyke was a very talented director who was hardly out of his depth in this sort of film and golden age comedy with touches of romance are my kind of film.

'Forsaking All Others' is not one of the best of the genre. Have also seen everybody in the cast give better performances than here, though they do come off very well still and are the main reason for seeing the film. 'Forsaking All Others' is one of those films that starts off very well but runs out of steam in the latter stages in material and momentum. It is certainly not a bad film, let alone terrible, but considering the talent it had potential to be much better.

Beginning with the good, it looks good with some lovely shots and Crawford's typically knockout wardrobe. Van Dyke's direction is slick and accomplished for the first half. Really liked the song choices for the soundtrack, some real classics here and all used appropriately and it was surprising to hear a few of the songs sung by the cast a capella. The script is very witty and sophisticated in the first half and is also very funny.

The first half also moves at a lively pace and has fun and charm. Crawford clearly enjoys herself while not playing her role too heavily, which she did do in some of her comedies, and has nice comic timing. Gable despite being underused later is charming and dashing, didn't like how his character was written in the second half but Gable really makes the most of what he is given. Montgomery also has great comic timing and is suitably caddish, though again his character didn't appeal to me. Butterworth and Russell are very amusing.

However, 'Forsaking All Others' could have been better. The second half for me was not near as good as the first, it drags in pace, any turns are predictable and the material becomes tired and contrived. It actually felt like a different film. The ending comes over as hokey and would have made more sense and rang true if Gable's character was written better in the second half and didn't make such an unwarranted and out of the blue decision.

The character does come over as simpering and too easily fooled and Montgomery's character's negative character traits are also overblown to the extent that his appeal gets lost on the viewer. Van Dyke's direction also isn't as focused and it was like he lost control or gave up. Burke has too little to do to shine.

In conclusion, uneven but just about above average. 6/10.

throughout the film, all the big names are laughing, joking, playing, having a grand ol time, until every now and then some real life adult situations get in the way. liberal use of backdrop scenery. also a lot of getting dressed and undressed. Miss Joan Crawford (Mary) getting spanked. naughty naughty. Billie Burke with the hair curler contraption on her head. all right at the beginning of enforcement of the film production code, with the official card at the beginning of the movie to prove it. Clark Gable (Jeff) and Robert Montgomery (Dill) keep stepping out of the shower. Montgomery in a dress. Fun stuff! Rosalind Russell and Charles Butterworth ("Shemp"... not to be confused with one of the Stooges... has nothing to do with that) thrown in for more wisecracking. Even the butler gets a couple funny lines. Why isn't this shown more often? and why is it rated so low? Catch this one and see Joanie in a glamorous but not over-done over-bearing role.... before she turned to the dark side...

This is one of the several movies that Joan Crawford made with Clark Gable, and fortunately quite a few of them (maybe all) have made it to at least DVD-R via the Warner Archive. This is one of the best the two did together. It's a romantic comedy in which Joan plays socialite Mary Clay, who is about to marry lifelong acquaintance Dillon Todd (Robert Montgomery). Clark Gable plays another of Mary's lifelong friends, Jeff Williams. Jeff has been long away from home and decides to come back just to ask Mary to marry him, unaware that Mary is about to marry Dillon. When he learns about their upcoming marriage he decides to keep his feelings to himself, although the look he has as if having been punched in the stomach when he hears the news says it all. Robert Montgomery is playing the usual harmless playboy character here that he did so much of in the early 1930's. It looks like Mary and Dillon's marriage is about to go off without a hitch until one of Dillon's old girlfriends appears on the scene.

This film was released about six months after the precode era ended, so there is nothing really racey going on here. About the most extreme thing you will see is Robert Montgomery in a dress. However, W.S. Van Dyke is the director of this film, and he knew how to combine sexual tension and comedy in an age of aggressive censorship, and this is a fine example of his work. I highly recommend it to fans of films of the 1930's.

This love triangle comedy is worth tracking down for its great script, which is filled to the brim with humorous wit and colorful dialogue that keeps viewers on their toes. (Joseph L. Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay, based on a stage play.) And it certainly helps to have these lines read by the likes of Billie Burke and Charles Butterworth, whose inimitable comedic talents boost the so-so story.

Robert Montgomery's and Joan Crawford's characters grow tiresome after a while, but the film is saved by the performances of Butterworth and Burke in their sidekick roles. Billie Burke is at her fluttery best. Clark Gable is Clark Gable: solid the whole way through. His character is the most likable of the three leads, but he drops out from the middle of the film.

The plot takes some tedious turns, but the ending is satisfying. I like how the scenes at the end of the film mirror the scenes at the start of the film. While I felt the production overall was uneven, I must say that the script really sparkles in places, setting this overlooked comedy apart from the pack.