Female

Dir. Michael Curtiz 60 Minutes

USA

1933

Starring: Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, Lois Wilson, Johnny Mack Brown, Ruth Donnelly

***/***** Packs quite a bit in considering it is exactly one hour in length. Interesting narrative that has a very "pre-code" set-up before moving into a "post-code" set of values for its conclusion. Ruth Chatterton plays the CEO of an automobile company who has casual affairs but scorns the idea of marriage as an institution. Until, of course, she meets George Brent. Chatterton spends the bulk of the running time combating the males at the company who both wait for her to fail and wait for biology to kick in and give her the urge to settle down, and this portion of the film actually feels quite transgressive and a bit daring. The film remains pleasurable with Brent is introduced, and the scenes of the two together are nicely written and performed, but it is a bit of a shame when the narrative becomes about bringing these two together and siding with the aforementioned male characters, But simultaneously remains an interesting artifact and a precursor of what would be coming in cinematic values just one year later. September 16, 2019