Perfect Understanding (1933)
A young couple decide to marry under the condition that they agree never to disagree. That agreement is soon put to the test when the husband finds himself attracted to a beautiful young woman.
- Cyril Gardner
- Michael Powell
- Miles Malleson
- Miles Malleson
- Garrett Graham
Rating: 6.1/10 by 7 users
Alternative Title:
Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 20 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: infidelity, pre-code, young couple
I can't help thinking that Cyril Gardner may have done better with this had it been a silent film. There are some stunning photographic scenes and at times, it verges on the travelogue as Gloria Swanson ("Judy") and a very dashing Laurence Olivier ("Nick") meet, fall in love and engage in an early thirties version of a "open marriage". They travel the length and breadth of Europe before he ends up in Cannes visiting a friend whilst she decants home to prepare their flat in London. In Cannes, "Nick" gets a bit sozzled and hooks up with old flame Nora Swinburne ("Lady Fitzmaurice") after getting injured in a high speed (and quite entertaining) power boat race... Riddled with guilt, he goes home and tells his wife. Ostensibly she forgives him, but does she? Does she, really - or is the green eyed monster about to rear it's ugly head? It's got it's fair share of schemers and plenty of rather childish tit-for-tat antics to keep the plot moving - sometimes quite amusingly, and there is definitely a chemistry between the two stars, but the dialogue just clutters things up and the whole thing is just a bit lightweight. Nothing wrong in that, I suppose, but I really wanted more from this pairing...
