Chicago – It’s a cause for celebration amongst film buffs when any picture—however minor or unremarkable—is miraculously resurrected from the dead, enabling us to view a lost piece of cinema history. That being said, there are countless titles more worthy of being reborn than “Perfect Understanding,” the latest alleged classic released by Cohen Media Group.
At first glance, this 1933 talkie promises to be fascinating. After making the intimidating transition to sound, while scoring two Oscar nominations in the process, one would imagine that Gloria Swanson’s career was on fire. Yet her popularity was waning with audiences, inspiring the star to form her own production company to make this comeback vehicle with a young up-and-comer named Laurence Olivier. Apparently the film fizzled during its initial release, inspiring Swanson to make only two more pictures before disappearing for nearly a decade.
Blu-ray Rating: 1.5/5.0
It wasn’t until 1950 when Swanson...
At first glance, this 1933 talkie promises to be fascinating. After making the intimidating transition to sound, while scoring two Oscar nominations in the process, one would imagine that Gloria Swanson’s career was on fire. Yet her popularity was waning with audiences, inspiring the star to form her own production company to make this comeback vehicle with a young up-and-comer named Laurence Olivier. Apparently the film fizzled during its initial release, inspiring Swanson to make only two more pictures before disappearing for nearly a decade.
Blu-ray Rating: 1.5/5.0
It wasn’t until 1950 when Swanson...
- 6/15/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The idea of a marriage working through the cardinal rule of improv (always say 'yes') is an interesting one that many comedians could probably have a field day. Something close to that effect was tried out a few years ago with Jim Carrey's Yes Man, but long before that came Cyril Gardner's Perfect Understanding, the story of a couple who promise to never disagree with one another, only for that concept to become increasingly difficult as the man's eye starts to wander. A film essentially made to help Gloria Swanson prove her viability as an actress in the age of talkies, it seemed to have a lot going for it, including Laurence Olivier as her counterpart. The concept however never really takes off due to the two main characters being somewhat trite and, at times, repulsive, and ultimately the film is less of a forgotten gem and more...
- 6/6/2013
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: June 4, 2013
Price: DVD $24.99, Blu-ray $34.99
Studio: Cohen Film Collection/Entertainment One
Gloria Swanson and Laurence Olivier test out the viability of their marriage vows in Perfect Understanding.
Cinema icons Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard) and Laurence Olivier (Richard III) star in the 1933 romantic comedy Perfect Understanding, the only film the pair made together.
Judy (Swanson) and Nicholas (Olivier) are a young society couple who marry based on the “perfect understanding” that they will be allowed to enjoy extramarital adventures and never let jealousy come between them.
That arrangement is soon put to the test when a drunk Nicholas sleeps with a former lover (Nora Swinburne, TV’s The Forsythe Saga). When he returns to Judy, he is guilt-ridden and confesses his indiscretion. Judy forgives him, but Nicholas is soon battling his own feelings of jealousy when he comes to believe that Judy has slept with an old friend of hers (John Halliday,...
Price: DVD $24.99, Blu-ray $34.99
Studio: Cohen Film Collection/Entertainment One
Gloria Swanson and Laurence Olivier test out the viability of their marriage vows in Perfect Understanding.
Cinema icons Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard) and Laurence Olivier (Richard III) star in the 1933 romantic comedy Perfect Understanding, the only film the pair made together.
Judy (Swanson) and Nicholas (Olivier) are a young society couple who marry based on the “perfect understanding” that they will be allowed to enjoy extramarital adventures and never let jealousy come between them.
That arrangement is soon put to the test when a drunk Nicholas sleeps with a former lover (Nora Swinburne, TV’s The Forsythe Saga). When he returns to Judy, he is guilt-ridden and confesses his indiscretion. Judy forgives him, but Nicholas is soon battling his own feelings of jealousy when he comes to believe that Judy has slept with an old friend of hers (John Halliday,...
- 5/15/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
George Cukor-directed movies at the Oscars. (See previous post: George Cukor Oscar Actor’s Director. Photo: Judy Holliday, William Holden, Born Yesterday.) George Cukor-directed movies earned twenty-one Academy Award nominations in the acting categories, including five wins. (s) supporting category; (*) Academy Award winner 1930-31 Fredric March, The Royal Family of Broadway (co-directed with Cyril Gardner) 1936 Norma Shearer, Romeo and Juliet Basil Rathbone (s), Romeo and Juliet 1937 Greta Garbo, Camille 1940 * James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story Katharine Hepburn, The Philadelphia Story Ruth Hussey (s), The Philadelphia Story 1944 Charles Boyer, Gaslight * Ingrid Bergman, Gaslight Angela Lansbury (s), Gaslight 1947 * Ronald [...]...
- 7/8/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The play Barrymore, which in 1997 earned Christopher Plummer a Tony Award for his portrayal of legendary stage and screen star John Barrymore, will be shown at movie houses in Canada in May. Screenings in the United States and elsewhere will follow in October. Could that possibly mean a third Oscar nomination for Plummer, this year's Best Supporting Actor winner for Mike Mills' Beginners? Unless Academy rules have changed in that regard — and Barrymore gets shown for a week in the Los Angeles area — that's certainly a possibility. Filmed plays — Barrymore was filmed with multiple high-definition cameras last year — have earned Academy recognition in the past. For instance, a 1965 filmed version of Britain's National Theatre presentation of Othello earned acting nods for Laurence Olivier, Frank Finlay, Maggie Smith, and Joyce Redman. In 1975, James Whitmore was shortlisted in the Best Actor category for the Theatrovision production of his one-man show Give 'em Hell,...
- 3/14/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Tim Burton invades New York, New Italian Cinema hits Los Angeles, Harold and Kumar spread holiday cheer in Austin and everywhere you look, they're celebrating All Tomorrow's Parties -- just some of the holiday film fun you can have this winter at your local repertory theater.
More Holiday Preview: [Theatrical Calendar]
[Repertory Calendar] [Anywhere But a Movie Theater]
New York
92YTribeca
In November, the 92YTribeca Screening Room will have some special guests in the house when it hosts the already sold out "A Conversation with Wes Anderson and Jason Schwartzman" on November 10th, with the two longtime collaborators discussing their latest film "Fantastic Mr. Fox." But tickets are still available for the night before (Nov. 9th), when actor Ben Foster and director Oren Moverman will screen their acclaimed new post-war drama "The Messenger". Much of the rest of the month is devoted to Cinema Tropical's Ten Years of New Argentine Cinema series with screenings of Adrián Caetano's immigration...
More Holiday Preview: [Theatrical Calendar]
[Repertory Calendar] [Anywhere But a Movie Theater]
New York
92YTribeca
In November, the 92YTribeca Screening Room will have some special guests in the house when it hosts the already sold out "A Conversation with Wes Anderson and Jason Schwartzman" on November 10th, with the two longtime collaborators discussing their latest film "Fantastic Mr. Fox." But tickets are still available for the night before (Nov. 9th), when actor Ben Foster and director Oren Moverman will screen their acclaimed new post-war drama "The Messenger". Much of the rest of the month is devoted to Cinema Tropical's Ten Years of New Argentine Cinema series with screenings of Adrián Caetano's immigration...
- 11/3/2009
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
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