esrosedotblog

EMPTY NEST

Walter Huston and Ruth Chatterton are on early retirement. Their daughter is all grown up. He is an ex-industrialist who sold his company for megabucks. She is a younger provincial wannabe. They go to Europe to lead the good life. Like a lot of guys (not me) he yearns to be back in a saddle. Any saddle.

She yearns for a life of glamour and dancing 'til dawn. Not a good match. They separate, then reconcile, then separate again. Gigolos and opportunists ensue and pursue Chatterton. Huston meets Mary Astor; finds there is more to life than a dizzy socialite wannabe and starts a second career. Here he is with Astor.

It is great stuff. Universal and timeless. Extremely well acted by a bevy of familiar actors (David Niven, Paul Lukas, Spring Byington). It is Sinclair Lewis' Dodsworth (1936) brought to life by William Wyler.

We liked it a lot. We will see many Wyler movies in the Best Films series (we already saw Ben Hur and Best Years of Our Lives (wonderful).

I also love to watch Walter Huston. He was much older when I saw him in real time (Treasure of the Sierra Madré) and his rendition of September Song (Kurt Weill—the musical Knickerbocker Holiday) is all time famous.

This is a deep review isn't it? The film generates a lot of heat. The two leads really go at it and there is a grand climax. You will like it as much as we did and I am giving it a 5 out of a Netlix5.