The film begins with the arrival of an airplane and ends with the destruction of one! A tragic story of a father’s love wrapped in a bouquet of melodrama, Walter Lang’s film is a competent Rom-Com but attains an entirely different attitude (and altitude) in its final act. Carole Lombard is exquisite as the spoiled heiress Anne Holt who imbues her character with intelligence, compassion and wisecracking humor that not only makes her adorable but fully human and humane. The trope of the bratty and rebellious child is broken as is the typical role of snooty parents and guardians: her father and grandmother are hilarious and not at all stuck-up snobs and are portrayed as rather down-to-Earth and considerate. After all, their machinations ensure the union of their daughter and the poor but hard-working unit of measurement.
The plot seems fairly mundane: Anne falls in love with the handsome yet poor Tony Gage but is engaged to a prince. She vows to break of the engagement and promises new vows to Tony (who plays hard to get). But the family’s purse-strings are held by a selfish and malignant Grandfather who wants nothing more in life except a family Title, so he blackmails Anne into accepting the prince’s affections in order to bail-out her father from certain bankruptcy. The suspense is in keeping this secret from Tony (who is righteously upset) and her father (who doesn’t understand). Some keen moments elevate this above the typical genre films. The flirtatious workout aboard the ship in the first act is a riot, as we get a nice close-up of Tony’s ass from her POV, then a race on stationary bicycles that finishes with what a devilish voyeur (like me, the audience) could construe as pure orgasmic surprise! Or later on, when the father proudly shows Tony a scrapbook of dogs (and turkeys!) while Anne writhes with boredom and anticipation. The photography is wonderful, captured by the great DP Joseph August whose low-key lighting often captures the emotional state of Anne perfectly. One close-up of Anne is done in right-profile with her face gradually diminishing into shadows much like her soul, lost and anxious. Personally, I love the scar on Carole Lombard’s cheek as it’s a tiny imperfection on a beautiful face that makes her more human and somehow more sincere.
But it’s the final Act that really breaks convention and our hearts. Anne’s father learns of the blackmail but doesn’t let on, arranging a secret wedding for his daughter and Tony the night before the grand matrimony to the prince. He promises Anne that financial backers from Washington DC came through and he’s flying there that night to close the deal. In reality, he crashes his plane purposely, so his insurance money saves his bank and his daughter’s future. Anne and Tony drive away happy without the knowledge of her father’s suicide, their road to nowhere is now here. What parent wouldn’t make the ultimate sacrifice for the happiness of their children?
Final Grade: (B+)