Vanity Fair

There have been a few Hollywood adaptations of the classic Vanity Fair, but one that is particularly interesting to watch is the pre-Code 1932 version starring Myrna Loy. Because there were no constrictions, it could be as naughty as it wanted to be - and it was! With Myrna's side-eye, smirk, and bold gestures, she's completely believable as Becky Sharp. Becky wants to advance in society and soon learns that sleeping with men advances her social status. In one particularly slimy scene early on, her friend's middle-aged brother practically propositions her in broad daylight. Myrna gives her little smile and realizes that if she gives him what he wants, he'll invite her to parties and dinners with the "right" people.

Modern audiences might find this version tame, but keep in mind it's an old, black-and-white flick. It's almost one hundred years old, and it's very interesting to watch actors in a timeless story of a conniving gold digger.

VANITY FAIR (Allied Pictures, 1932), directed by Chester Franklin, is labeled in the opening credits as "a modern dress adaptation to BECKY SHARP by William Thackeray." With classic literature transformed to the screen dating back to the silent film era, VANITY FAIR, being one of them in 1915 and 1923, marks the first sound edition to the classic novel, bringing forth the unlikely candidate of the youthful Myrna Loy (courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) in this "poverty-row" production. Somewhat miscast in some respects, Loy managed to rise above material regardless of her softer appeal to such better suited actresses as British born actress, Heather Angel, for example, who might have made adventuress Becky Sharp a bit acceptable in character portrait.

In a limousine bound for London, Amelia Sedley (Barbara Kent), a rich college girl, accompanied by her best friend and classmate, Becky Sharp (Myrna Loy). Having no family of her own, Becky is invited to spend Christmas with Amelia and her family. After making the acquaintance with her parents, George (Herbert Bunston) and Rita Sedley (Mary Forbes), Becky is introduced to Amelia's brother, Joseph (Billy Bevan), having just arrived from his trip in India. Regardless of his overweight, Becky takes a fancy to him. After inviting Becky to spend the weekend with him in Brighton, Becky "accepts" this as a wedding proposal, thus scaring Joseph off to Scotland, leaving Becky a farewell note through Amelia. With Joseph out of the way, Becky takes an interest in Amelia's fiance, George Osborne (Walter Byron). Seeing them alone together has Mrs. Sedley advising Becky to leave. Accepting a position as governess to the two daughters of Sir Pitt Crawley (Lionel Bellmore), amiddle-aged man whose wife has been deadly ill for ten years. Sir Pitt comes on to Becky, though she shows more interest in Pitt's sophisticated adult son, Rawdon (Conway Tearle) instead. After Pitt's wife dies, he goes quickly to Becky to propose, only to discover she has married his son instead. Angry and bitter, Pitt leaves Rawdon penniless and orders the couple out of his home. On their own, Becky and Rawdon struggle financially, avoiding debt collectors, and cheating at card games to acquire extra money. After Amelia's husband, George, who Becky has been seeing secretly, dies in a fox hunting accident, Amelia begins her new relationship with Dobbins (Anthony Bushnell), her former beau. Having served time in prison, Rawdon returns home to find Becky alone with the Marquis of Steyne (Montagu Love). Learning he's been supporting her financially with expensive jewelry, Rawdon orders Becky out of his life. Living in Paris, Becky meets with one of her former suitors at the gambling casino, only to later see herself the way others have been for years. Others in the cast include Lilyan Irene (Polly), Tom Ricketts (Parker, the Butler), and Elspeth Dudgeon (The Housekeeper).

In spite of its slow packing and visuals that make VANITY FAIR look more like an early 1929 talkie, the film is made interesting through the presence of Myrna Loy. How she got this assignment to appear in an independent production as Becky Sharp remains a mystery. Though Loy starts off by speaking in British accept early in the story, this is soon abandoned for more natural speaking flair. Except for a couple of scenes, VANITY FAIR lacks background scoring. With other classic literature turned motion pictures by minor studios as Monogram's OLIVER TWIST (1933) and JANE EYRE (1934), major studios soon got into the act with Charles Dickens' GREAT EXPECTATIONS (Universal, 1934) and DAVID COPPERFIELD (MGM, 1935) before RKO Radio revamped VANITY FAIR three years later as BECKY SHARP (1935) starring Miriam Hopkins. Aside from resuming the original Thackeray story back to 19th Century England, BECKY SHARP went a step further as being produced in the newly formed three-strip Technicolor. Even with some dull stretches and not being a scene-by-scene remake, BECKY SHARP (1935) definitely was an improvement over VANITY FAIR (1932).

Virtually forgotten and out of television circulation since the 1950s, VANITY FAIR has come out of oblivion through its distribution decades later on home video, DVD and TCM cable television (TCM premiere: April 4, 2025). Initially clocked at 73 minutes, beware of shorter 67-minute DVD editions using a new opening that reads: Screen Craft Pictures Present "INDECENT: THE PRIVATE LIFE OF BECKY SHARP" starring Myrna Loy. Following this 1932 production, Loy returned to MGM, where she truly belonged. (**)

I love the Thackeray novel on which this film is based. And while this modern version of Becky Sharp's story is a B film, the casting of Loy, in her first top-billed role, is rather fascinating.

Before Loy became MGM's reigning good girl in scores of genteel and comic roles, she was an actress. VANITY FAIR was Loy's follow-up film to EMMA, in which she played a snotty and greedy daughter who almost destroys the loyal housekeeper (Marie Dressler).

Loy's Becky is much nastier than Miriam Hopkins' version 3 years later in BECKY SHARP. Loy's Becky is very much a pre-Code film character with her plunging necklines and amoral ways. It's the type of character that Jean Harlow or Clara Bow could easily have played, but Becky here is still supposed to be of the genteel set. That's what makes her fallen character so tragic.

In counterpoint to Loy's grasping Becky is the goody goody Amelia (Barbara Kent) who is just not an interesting character. Mary Forbes is icily good as Mrs. Sedley. Most of the other actors in this version are pretty blah: Conway Tearle as Rawdon; Walter Byron as Osborne; Anthony Bushell as Dobbin. Others are nearly Dickensian is their quirkiness: Billy Bevan as Joseph; Lionel Belmore as Crawley; Montagu Love as the Marquis; Lilyan Irene as Polly the maid; Elspeth Dudgeon as the housekeeper.

Loy is front and center throughout. While the ending is rather shocking, she has several excellent scenes, such as the gambling scene in the casino where she tries to steal another woman's winning roulette bet. The more Loy's Becky descends morally, the more beautiful she gets until she is finally "caught." Bottom line here is that this is a very solid performance by Loy in a film that should be seen.

Myrna Loy is cast as Becky Sharp, and this appears to be her first starring role, a step away from the exotic vampires she played earlier in her career (such roles would continue through 1934, even after her breakthrough role in THE THIN MAN), but it would be Frank Capra and W.S. Van Dyke who would reimagine her as what she was: a great American beauty.

Miss Loy was lent from MGM to M.H. Hoffman at Chesterfield for this modern-dress version of Thackeray's novel, and despite the cheapness of the production and the wonky soundtrack on the copy I saw, director Chester Franklin's desire to make a serious version of the story about the girl who knew men only wanted her for one thing, and she was going to make them pay for it, shines through. The casting includes some good silent movie talent, including Conway Tearle as Rawdon Crawley, able to support a leading lady without distracting the audience; Lionel Belmore as his lascivious father;Barbara Kent as her friend, Amanda Sedley.

It's a nice version, and undoubtedly was a turning point in Miss Loy's career. Unfortunately, Franklin's polite and family-friendly handling failed to ignite any major response in a year when movie grosses and profits were at a low point; and the sumptuous Technicolor version of 1935 all but erased this movie from the public consciousness.

When I first turned on the DVD with this film, I was very tempted to just turn it off--the print and especially the sound were that bad. In fact, it's among the worst quality prints I've ever seen from Alpha Video--and that's saying a lot because none of Alpha's DVDs appear to have any restoration work on them and many are in horrible shape. The sound on this one is simply appallingly bad and I sure hope someone would one day restore the print. But, considering this isn't a particularly good film, it's doubtful this will occur.

Aside from the novelty of seeing this story of a conniving woman set in the modern day instead of the 19th century like it was in Thackeray's novel as well as seeing Myrna Loy in one of her earliest starring roles, there's not much to recommend this movie. While I did not exactly love the famous 1935 version (entitled "Becky Sharp"--and it was the first full-length full color movie), it was better than this one. There are also newer versions that also work better than this low-budget 1932 one. In fact, I really think they set the film in the 1930s because of the budget--as they didn't need the added expense of costumes and wigs. This one, unfortunately, comes off as dated and creaky--with poor acting and a cheapness about it. And, given the horrendous quality of the print, it is not a film I could recommend.