La dame à scandale

British playwright Frederick Lonsdale had many of his drawing room comedies transferred to the screen, and this is one of his best. Ralph Forbes is in love with Ruth Chatterton, a British star actress, and forces the issue of marriage by announcing their engagement in the newspapers. He is the son of staid Lord Crayle (Herbert Bunston), who gathers the family together at his estate to try to determine what to do about it. They consider offering her a sum of £5000 to deny it when Forbes brings her to the meeting. Except for Basil Rathbone, the family is dead set against the marriage and think Chatterton too low in society. In a funny twist, her father, Robert Bolder, arrives to object to the marriage too. He thinks Chatterton is a genius at providing entertainment for the masses, and doesn't want her marrying beneath her station. He suggests they approve the engagement providing the marriage is delayed for six months, by which time Forbes should be totally bored with her. They agree and so does Forbes and Chatterton. She stays at the estate and brings about a transformation in the most reserved members. It was fun to watch Herbert Bunston do a solo modern dance to the tune of "Lulu Comes Home." And Frederick Kerr, who normally doesn't drink, gets drunk as he extols the virtues of the "gulley washers" Chatterton introduces him to. Meanwhile, Rathbone and Chatterton fall in love, but she is also aware he has been carrying on a long-term affair with a married Parisian woman, who he had said earlier he would marry if he could. He promises to give up the woman, but things change as they hear on the radio that the husband of that woman has died. Now Chatterton feels that woman will always be between them, but Rathbone is adamant about giving her up. Chatterton puts through a call to her in Paris and hands the phone to Rathbone, who has some difficulty going through with his plan. And Forbes has some ideas about his life, too.

There were quite a few interest points regarding 'The High Road', or 'The Lady of Scandal' in other places. It was an early talkie, back when the transition from silents to talkies was still being made and in early days and back when talkies were very much in their infancy. It was directed by Sidney Franklin, director of great films such as the sublime 'Smilin Through' with Norma Shearer. It also starred Ruth Chatterton, who should be better known today, and the great Basil Rathbone.

Sadly, 'The High Road' could have been a lot better. There are certainly far worse talkies back in the very early period that the film was made, but also a lot better (for instance 'Applause' was an early sound film and was quite innovative on a technical level, and it was great) during this period. Chatterton and Rathbone actually come off quite well compared to everything else, though both did a lot better, but by Franklin standards in overall film and directing it was a near-misfire.

Chatterton has a very natural and charming presence, and while she clearly has fun she has poignant moments too. Rathbone gives one of his better early talkie performance, charming and authoritative, though he did go on to do better in 'Anna Karenina', 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' and his Sherlock Holmes films. Frederick Kerr is a scene stealer and gives the funniest performance.

It looks pretty good and doesn't look too primitive, the photography doesn't try to be too clever but it also doesn't feel claustrophobic. The musical scene is good, nice song and well staged. There are some amusing moments and some of the tender ones are touching.

However, too much of 'The High Road' doesn't work. Most of the supporting cast overplay, all the silent film mannerisms present but exaggerated to the maximum, and Ralph Forbes is pretty dull in his role. There is too little to the characters to get one to care for them. Franklin's direction is disappointingly leaden and there is just no vitality to it.

Likewise there is no vitality in the too talky, too flowery and very stilted script. That has comedy that too often is sorely lacking in wit and the moments intended to be tender tend to be too sentimental. The story never comes to life, staying throughout at a cripplingly dull pace, and the whole film feels very stagy and old-fashioned, even by 1930 standards.

Overall, watchable but a long way from great or even good. 5/10

Some pretty huge hollywood names in this MGM love story from 1930. Ruth Chatterton, who was the very capable female lead in so many early films, is Elsie, in love with a rich man John (Ralph Forbes). Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes! ) is the other son Edward, in love with a married woman. Unfortunately, John's family just doesn't approve of Elsie, an actress, so she decides to leave, but the two brothers like her, and want her to stick around. The sound quality throughout is pretty awful, and the acting is all pretty lame, so no oscar awards for this one. Many really long pauses of dead air, so the editing is also just terrible. Chatterton was busy in the early 1930s.. she was nominated for two academy awards... (but certainly not for this one!) Directed by Sidney Franklin, who will be nominated best director for Good Earth, and also won the Thalberg award. Franklin directed Garbo in Wild Orchids, Nöel Coward's Private Lives, and Last of Mrs. Cheyney (another rich family versus poor woman story). Original play written by Frederick Lonsdale. This one is interesting soley for the big names in it (Chatterton, Rathbone), but the sound and editing are so bad it's almost painful to watch. Granted, talkies had just started about a year before this, so i guess we need to cut them a little slack. shows now and then on Turner Classics.

Interesting drawing room comedy from Frederick Lonsdale (On Approval) casts Ruth Chatterton as a stage star engaged to dull Ralph Forbes. It's announced in the papers that they are to marry so he brings her home to meet the relatives who are outraged at having an actress invade their stuffy manor house.

Forbes' father (Herbert Bunston) decides that he will allow it if she quits the stage and stays engaged for 6 months. Three weeks later she cannot abide the oaf and has fallen for Basil Rathbone. She's also brought LIFE into the house in the forms of music, tennis, and "gullet washers" (cocktails).

Chatterton was a charming actress of early talkies and is best remembered as a silly wife in the wonderful Dodsworth. She's terrific here and opens and closes the film with a song-and-dance stage number. Rathbone is OK as the love interest. Others in the cast include Nance O'Neill, Effie Ellsler, Cyril Chadwick, Mackenzie Ward, the oddly named Moon Carroll, Edgar Norton (butler again), Robert Bolder as Chatterton's father, and Frederick Kerr, who steals the film as the old crab who discovers the joys of gullet washers.

The immense set is quite good as is the writing. As with most of Lonsdale's plays, there is a serious undertone. But Chatterton is always very good, and the rapport between Kerr and O'Neill is hilarious. Forbes may well have been the most boring actor in films.

This tinny early talkie version of Frederick Lonsdale's 'The High Road' is fun to start with but eventually outstays it's welcome as the leads blather on passionlessly and at great length about love.

Director Sidney Franklin is plainly concentrating on the performances rather than the camera (in the process actually getting a decent performance out of Frederick Kerr), and Basil Rathbone starts to show what he would be capable of when his film career kicked off in earnest shortly afterwards.