- Dodsworth (film)
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Dodsworth 
Theatrical release posterDirected by William Wyler Produced by Samuel Goldwyn
Merritt HulburdWritten by Sidney Howard
Adapted from his play based on the novel by Sinclair LewisStarring Walter Huston
Ruth Chatterton
Paul Lukas
Mary AstorMusic by Alfred Newman Cinematography Rudolph Maté Editing by Daniel Mandell Distributed by United Artists Release date(s) September 23, 1936 Running time 101 minutes Country United States Language English Dodsworth is a 1936 American drama film directed by William Wyler. Sidney Howard based the screenplay on his 1934 stage adaptation of the 1929 novel of the same name by Sinclair Lewis. Through the title character, it examines the differences between US and European intellect, manners, and morals.
Contents
Synopsis
Middle-aged Sam Dodsworth is the head of Dodsworth Motor Company, an automobile manufacturing firm. His wife Fran, a shallow and vain woman obsessed with the notion of growing old, convinces her spouse to sell his interest in the company and take her to Europe. Before long, Fran begins to view herself as a sophisticated world traveler and Sam as boring and unimaginative. Searching for excitement in her life, she begins spending time with other men and eventually informs Sam that she's leaving him for a member of the nobility. While in Italy, Sam reunites with Edith Cortright, a divorcee he first met aboard the Queen Mary en route to Europe, and the two fall in love. When Fran's plans to marry the nobleman fall through and she calls off the divorce, Sam rejoins her on a ship to sail back to America. In the climactic scene, Sam realizes his marriage to Fran is over. He gets off the ship at the last moment to rejoin Edith after he realizes just how much he cares for her.
Principal cast
- Walter Huston ..... Sam Dodsworth
- Ruth Chatterton ..... Fran Dodsworth
- Paul Lukas ..... Arnold Iselin
- Mary Astor ..... Mrs. Edith Cortright
- Kathryn Marlowe ..... Emily Dodsworth McKee
- David Niven ..... Captain Clyde Lockert
- Gregory Gaye ..... Baron Kurt Von Obersdorf
- Maria Ouspenskaya .....Baroness Von Obersdorf
- Spring Byington ..... Matey Pearson
- Odette Myrtil .... Renée De Penable
Production notes
Walter Huston and Mary Astor
Walter Huston appeared in the 1934 Broadway production, which co-starred Fay Bainter as Fran. Huston recreated his role yet again for a Lux Radio Theatre broadcast in October 1937.[1]
This was one of two 1936 films based on plays directed by William Wyler. The other was These Three starring Miriam Hopkins which was an adaptation of Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour that was sanitized to meet the Production Code's standards.
The film was named one of the year's ten best by the New York Times and was one of the top twenty box office films of the year.
In 1990, Dodsworth was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. In 2005, Time named it one of the 100 best movies of the past 80 years[2].
Principal production credits
- Producers ..... Samuel Goldwyn, Merritt Hulburd
- Original Music ..... Alfred Newman
- Cinematography ..... Rudolph Maté
- Art Direction ..... Richard Day
- Costume Design ..... Omar Kiam
Critical reception
In his review in the New York Times, Frank S. Nugent described it as "admirable" and added, "William Wyler . . . has had the skill to execute it in cinematic terms, and a gifted cast has been able to bring the whole alive to our complete satisfaction . . . [the film] has done more than justice to Mr. Howard's play, converting a necessarily episodic tale . . . into a smooth-flowing narrative of sustained interest, well-defined performance and good talk."[3]
Time said it was "directed with a proper understanding of its values by William Wyler, splendidly cast and brilliantly played."[4]
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated in seven categories, winning for Best Art Direction.[5]
- Academy Award for Best Picture (nominee)[6]
- Academy Award for Best Actor (Walter Huston, nominee)
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Maria Ouspenskaya, nominee)
- Academy Award for Best Director (nominee)
- Academy Award for Best Art Direction (winner)
- Academy Award for Best Sound, Recording (Thomas T. Moulton) (nominee)
- Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay (nominee)
References
- ^ Dodsworth at Turner Classic Movies
- ^ Dodsworth at Time All-Time 100 Best Films
- ^ New York Times review
- ^ Time review
- ^ "The 9th Academy Awards (1936) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/9th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "NY Times: Dodsworth". NY Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/14183/Dodsworth/details. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
External links
- Dodsworth at the Internet Movie Database
Films directed by William Wyler 1920s The Crook Buster (1925) • The Gunless Bad Man (1926) • Ridin' for Love (1926) • The Fire Barrier (1926) • Don't Shoot (1926) • The Pinnacle Rider (1926) • Martin of the Mounted (1926) • Lazy Lightning (1926) • The Stolen Ranch (1926) • The Two Fister (1927) • Kelcy Gets His Man (1927) • Tenderfoot Courage (1927) • The Silent Partner (1927) • Blazing Days (1927) • Shooting Straight (1927) • Galloping Justice (1927) • The Haunted Homestead (1927) • Hard Fists (1927) • The Lone Star (1927) • The Home Trail (1927) • Gun Justice (1927) • The Phantom Outlaw (1927) • The Square Shooter (1927) • The Horse Trader (1927) • Daze of the West (1927) • The Border Cavalier (1927) • Desert Dust (1927) • Thunder Riders (1928) • Anybody Here Seen Kelly? (1928) • The Shakedown (1929) • The Love Trap (1929)1930s Hell's Heroes (1930) • The Storm (1930) • A House Divided (1931) • Tom Brown of Culver (1932) • Her First Mate (1933) • Counsellor at Law (1933) • Glamour (1934) • The Good Fairy (1935) • The Gay Deception (1935) • Barbary Coast (1935) • These Three (1936) • Dodsworth (1936) • Come and Get It (1936) • Dead End (1937) • Jezebel (1938) • Wuthering Heights (1939)1940s The Westerner (1940) • The Letter (1940) • The Little Foxes (1941) • Mrs. Miniver (1942) • Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944) • The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) • Thunderbolt! (1947) • The Heiress (1949)1950s Detective Story (1951) • Carrie (1952) • Roman Holiday (1953) • The Desperate Hours (1955) • Friendly Persuasion (1956) • The Big Country (1958) • Ben-Hur (1959)1960s The Children's Hour (1961) • The Collector (1965) • How to Steal a Million (1966) • Funny Girl (1968)1970s The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970)Categories:- 1936 films
- American films
- English-language films
- 1930s drama films
- United States National Film Registry films
- Films based on novels
- Films directed by William Wyler
- Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award
- Black-and-white films
- United Artists films
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