Nur dem Namen nach

With all the rubbishy movies available today on DVD, why on earth is a masterpiece like this not available on that medium ? This is one of my all time favourites ( like Random Harvest, Waterloo Bridge, Last holiday etc ). I loved CG in Penny Serenade, but he is even better here. From beginning to end, your're clutching at your heart ! What a shame picture and sound quality are so bad. Can't this be re-mastered and numerized for God's sake. Performances by all involved are magnificent and you can't guess the outcome right up till the end. And of course I loved Charles Coburn (almost as good as in "Heaven can Wait" ). They just can't make films like this any more today even though the actual theme of the film is timeless. This is a must-see for all incurable romantics like myself !!!

Boy meets girl. Boy is married. Girl is widowed with a child. They fall in love, but his wife won't let him have his freedom. She will do anything to hold onto him. That is In Name Only in a nutshell...and what a masterpiece it is. With so many major films released in 1939, it is understandable how a film about 3 people in a grueling triangle can be overlooked. It seems that today, thanks to TCM, so many wonderful moments of screen history may once again be viewed and shared. I can remember as a child seeing this moving film on television. It was wonderful then, and even better now. The years have not left a mark on it. The evil portrayed by Kay Francis, subtle at times, flagrant at others keeps the viewer from feeling this is a sappy soap opera. As good as both Carole Lombard and Cary Grant are in this film, Kay outshines them. It's about time the world once again discovers the merits of Kay Francis. In this movie, she not only steals each scene she is in, but proves herself to have been thoroughly underrated as an actress. She was so much more than just a great beauty or a clotheshorse for the most stunning wardrobes in Hollywood. Try to catch each and every film she made and visit http://www.kayfrancisfilms.com/

After watching this you will have seen why Kay Francis was such a good actress. I know this one is billed with Cary Grant and Carole Lombard but this one was Kay Francis' show.

Man does she put on a performance. She's not in it very much but she doesn't need to be. You'll get an idea what a gold digger really is and what they can do with her performance. She's just flat out evil.

In this film you'll see what a good supporting cast should look like. I wish they still made these melodramas like this. I'm grateful though that there are plenty to choose from on DVD from this time period.

I know this line is old and tired and said all the time but..."they just don't make em like this anymore."

I watched `In Name Only' the other night after about 20 odd years since the last time I watched it. I didn't realise how lovely this film actually was…..maybe age has matured me to such delights, who knows!!! Carole Lombard and Cary Grant star together and their pairing does work. Though the performance from Kay Francis was extremely convincing, she showed a cold calculated woman determined to keep Grant's character in a loveless marriage, parading a pretense to family and friends she was the hard-done-by wife.

Lombard's character Julie Eden was of course the opposite of Kay Francis's character……two different women in the extreme. Both women are vying for the same man, but with definite distinctions between them to what their reasons are..... one for love and the other for wealth and power. Amongst all this is Grant's character Alec Walker…….he knows to well of his wife's ambition, to the point of utterly loathing her (I actually think he does in the film).

The cinematography was sharp, editing and sound was to a high standard. The dialogue was clear and the plot was satisfactory……I say this because watching this film today really has no relevance to our society anymore. Couples just live with each other, there's no stigma attached or judgements made against them. The era of the film depicts a very different society code and morals.

`In Name Only' certainly has a place in my film collection. 8/10

Take an interesting story about two more or less doomed lovers, add a much-deserved happy-ending and cast all three leads against type. Than hand it over to a competent director, spend some money for plush production values, demand some snappy lines, hire a top-notch supporting cast and take care of a lush camera work. What do you get? One of the great love stories of all time.

The main reason is the cast!

Carole Lombard, beautiful and radiant, is much more subdued than usual.

Cary Grant, still on his way up to the echelon of stardom. 'Suave' aptly describes his performance.

And, best of all, Kay Francis. After being cast in a slew of low-budget programmers (WB even billed her below the title in 'Women in the Wind') her old pal Lombard (always the generous one) helped her out of oblivion with this once-in-a-lifetime role. Francis is cast a domestic monster but she underplays admirably and her scenes with Lombard sparkle.

The pic holds up very, very well. But be warned: tissued will be needed by the boxful at each viewing.