Chained

Joan Crawford is "Chained" in this 1934 film, but alas, it's not to Clark Gable, but to Otto Kruger. Crawford and Gable were a wonderful team, and this is one of the eight films they made together.

Crawford plays a young woman, Diana Lovering, whose married boyfriend Richard (Kruger) is unable to get a divorce from his wife. She goes on a long cruise to South America and on the boat meets Mike (Gable), who has a horse ranch in Argentina.

And guess what. She feels that she needs to return to tell Richard that she's fallen in love with Mike. When she returns home, however, she finds out that Richard has gotten a divorce from his wife and had to give up seeing his children in order to do so. She then believes she's obligated to marry him and writes a Dear Mike letter. However, she and Mike cross paths again a year later.

There isn't anything special about this film, directed by Clarence Brown, except for the chemistry of the two stars. They made better films together - "Possessed" (the '30s one) and "Strange Cargo" being two off the top of my head. But I have to admit that I always love seeing them, and Crawford was so striking in those days, it's worth a look.

Like both Joan Crawford, at her best in melodrama, and Clark Gable, at his best in romantic comedies and comedy (also equally as strong in drama) as actors. They both gave a lot of fine performances and starred in a fair share of good and more films on their own. 'Chained' is their fifth pairing together and shows how they worked so well together, maybe not one of the all-time great partnerships in film but their chemistry always shone.

Is 'Chained' one of their best films, individually and together? Not to me. Does it boast one of Crawford's best performances? No, but it was great to see a different side to her. Does it see the best of Gable? No, but he is in the sort of role that he always played very well and suited him perfectly. Is 'Chained' worth watching? Absolutely, and primarily for those two and their chemistry. It may not be a great film, but to me it was a good one and deserves to be better known.

'Chained' may be predictable in story and again story-wise there is not an awful lot to it. One may not buy that the characters seem so polite and almost too over-civil, considering the type of story it was it would have benefitted from more character depth and more tension.

There is one not so good performance. That comes from Stuart Erwin, who for my tastes was annoying, his material overdone and didn't gel particularly well with the rest of the film.

Visually though, 'Chained' looks absolutely great. Loved the lavish sets and Crawford's knockout costumes really do stop the show. All enhanced by the photography, which was almost dream-like. The music avoids being too syrupy, while Clarence Brown directs with always engaging style while accomodating the cast just as beautifully. The dialogue is smart, witty and sophisticated as one hopes. Did not expect the ending, which doesn't end as patly as feared and didn't feel as forced upon as it could have been.

Both Crawford and Gable are delightful here. It was great to see Crawford more toned down, for somebody who often starred in intense melodramas, and bringing a lighter touch to her acting, and the role suits her very well. Gable is dashing and charismatic with smart comic timing. Their chemistry scintillates. Suave Otto Kruger also gives a fine performance and even steals his scenes.

Overall, while not a must see it is worth tracking seen and deserves to be seen more. 7/10

The love triangle was and is a popular movie theme, so when Clark Gable and Joan Crawford are part of it, you can expect some good entertainment. They have very good chemistry together, perhaps because they were reportedly lovers offscreen. The third leg of the triangle is suave Otto Kruger, who never gives a bad performance, and there is also Gable's best friend, Stuart Erwin, who is there mostly for comic relief. I enjoyed the shipboard romance, which was neatly combined with some comedy, and included scenes with a young Mickey Rooney before his Andy Hardy days. I was surprised at the ending, which seemed to go against the Code.

Sparkling with stardust and glitter from the gowns and jewelry, "Chained" is romantic fluff from the Golden Age of Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Elegant Diane Lovering is the mistress of wealthy shipping magnate Richard Field, a middle-aged man, whose wife refuses him a divorce. After a confrontation with his wife in front of Diane, Field sends Diane off on an ocean voyage to think about their future together. Bad idea, because Mike Bradley, a handsome wealthy ranch owner from the Argentine, is aboard the liner, and the predictable sparks ignite.

Ah, the problems of the super rich are many in this glossy bauble. Joan Crawford as Diane parades sequined gowns and various hairstyles, while she ponders, suffers, and weeps glycerine tears and weighs her alternatives: wealth and social position in New York or wealth and a hunky husband in Argentina; either way, she eats and dresses well, while outside the movie theater Americans endured the Great Depression. Undeniable star power propels this short light-weight drama. Stunningly photographed by George Folsey and directed by Clarence Brown in gowns by Adrian, Crawford glows as the epitome of 1930's movie glamour. Clark Gable as Mike is equally glamorous and bigger than life; his instantly likeable personality and legendary looks captivate.

Beyond the two above-the-title stars, the supporting cast is more than capable to carry the gossamer-thin storyline; led by Otto Kruger as Gable's rival for Crawford, the character players include Stuart Erwin as Mike's buddy, Una O'Connor as Diane's maid, and Akim Tamiroff as a gourmet chef. Future star Mickey Rooney is hard to miss in a brief stint in the ship's swimming pool. Escapist entertainment like "Chained" distracted audiences from the pain of the Depression in the 1930's. However, contemporary viewers may chuckle at the whimsical problems amid the excessive wealth displayed on screen: lunch at the Colony, lodging at the St. Regis, luxury liner suites, vast haciendas, and cavernous apartments. Despite the predicable feather-weight story, MGM had stars that merited their stardom, and Crawford and Gable were at the pinnacle. For them alone, "Chained" merits watching.

I was surprised when I saw this film because in all the films these two made, I don't think that either ever looked any better than they do in this film. Crawford was about 29 and Gable 33, and each was really in their prime. And the chemistry showed too.

I thought that the swimming pool scenes were especially interesting as one can easily take them very lightly. But the thought of actually acting, reciting lines and swimming back and forth across the pool is a lot easier said than done. Considering the number of scenes, I wonder how many takes it took to get that sequence filmed? It was also a good vehicle to get both stars in bathing suits for the time, and Crawford's is actually pretty revealing.

Some other reviewers believe that the Crawford character would not have wanted to stay with the Kruger character, but I thought that Crawford completely sold it. Not an unusual plot but a somewhat unusual ending especially for the time. Crawford could have come across as sleazy given her characters morals, but somehow she came across as noble, no easy feat, and a tribute to her ability. Gable? what can you say, he just had "it".

One to see for old movie fans.