Frank Capra produced, co-wrote, and directed this Barbara Stanwyck performance, her fourth film. It's a star-making performance for her as her character runs the gamut of emotions from A to Z. She plays a mistress with a heart of gold for all it's worth. Ralph Graves plays a rich boy/artist who runs into Stanwyck one night when both are escaping glitzy parties. It's revealed Stanwyck and her room mate, Marie Prevost, are probably not the type of girl you bring home to mother. Lowell Sherman is the would be sugar daddy Stanwyck keeps in the wings while working on Graves. In the hands of a lesser director, Ladies Of Leisure would have become simply another in a long line of boy meets girl from the wrong side of the tracks melodramas. Frank Capra provides just the right touches and fosters a winning Stanwyck performance that elevates the picture above most of its kind. Almost every Capra film focused on romance, like this one, offers an enchantingly unique experience regarding how its counterparts fall in love. This film is no exception.
Stanwyck spends the night with Graves one rainy night, and Graves puts her up in his artist's studio while he goes to his bedroom. A girl with Stanwyck's background sees it as refreshing because she's used to guys making passes every chance they get. Watching Stanwyck try to get breakfast ready the next morning will break your heart as she watches Graves go about his business without readily acknowledging her efforts or falling for her as she wants. Graves' parents are played by George Fawcett and Nance O'Neil who are simply trying to look out for what's best for their son's future in rejecting the romance. O'Neil and Stanwyck have a terrific scene together near the end as Stanwyck returns to her rented room with Marie Prevost when O'Neil arrives to have it out with her. Both women display the nuances of mixed emotions in trying to see the opposite point of view.
Capra provides nice touches like stop/start motion transitions fixated on the same objects and then pulling the camera back to reveal a different location. Another trademark in Capra's films is the use of motifs repeated throughout the film like the references to Arizona and the stars. Jo Swerling adapted the film based on the play by David Belasco and Milton Herbert Gropper. If one could yield some criticism of the film, aside from its creaky plot, it would be Ralph Graves' acting. Graves is simply a poor match for Stanwyck; there's not a lot of chemistry between them, and he doesn't have the acting chops compared to her. In a few years, like so many other actors and actresses of the silent era, Graves' acting would be reduced to smaller and smaller parts. This is only an inkling of what was to come from a Capra directed film. *** of 4 stars.
Stanwyck spends the night with Graves one rainy night, and Graves puts her up in his artist's studio while he goes to his bedroom. A girl with Stanwyck's background sees it as refreshing because she's used to guys making passes every chance they get. Watching Stanwyck try to get breakfast ready the next morning will break your heart as she watches Graves go about his business without readily acknowledging her efforts or falling for her as she wants. Graves' parents are played by George Fawcett and Nance O'Neil who are simply trying to look out for what's best for their son's future in rejecting the romance. O'Neil and Stanwyck have a terrific scene together near the end as Stanwyck returns to her rented room with Marie Prevost when O'Neil arrives to have it out with her. Both women display the nuances of mixed emotions in trying to see the opposite point of view.
Capra provides nice touches like stop/start motion transitions fixated on the same objects and then pulling the camera back to reveal a different location. Another trademark in Capra's films is the use of motifs repeated throughout the film like the references to Arizona and the stars. Jo Swerling adapted the film based on the play by David Belasco and Milton Herbert Gropper. If one could yield some criticism of the film, aside from its creaky plot, it would be Ralph Graves' acting. Graves is simply a poor match for Stanwyck; there's not a lot of chemistry between them, and he doesn't have the acting chops compared to her. In a few years, like so many other actors and actresses of the silent era, Graves' acting would be reduced to smaller and smaller parts. This is only an inkling of what was to come from a Capra directed film. *** of 4 stars.