The early 1930s were far different on film than most people today would believe. In this era before a new toughened Production Code, there was an "anything goes" attitude in Hollywood. Nudity, adultery, drug abuse, cursing, violence and even abortion as well as prostitution were topics in many mainstream films--and these behaviors were often NOT punished in the films. All these would become taboo topics once the Code was adopted in 1934 in an effort to make films more family-friendly. There is no way that a film like DOWNSTAIRS would have been made post-1934--or at least not without many, many changes to make it acceptable for public viewing. Personally, I love most of these Pre-Code films as they are delightfully shocking, though I can also see why the Code was needed--as audiences of all ages were attending the shows and even one of the Tarzan films featured a lengthy and very gratuitous nude scene!
The story for this film was created by the actor, John Gilbert, and he stars as an amoral gigolo who works as a chauffeur. Starting at the bottom in a household, through blackmail and his snake-like charm, he's able to create chaos all about him and worm his way into a trusted position among the staff. In many, many ways, this film is like a male version of RED-HEADED WOMAN (Jean Harlow) and BABY FACE (Barbara Stanwyck), as all three have similar plots involving conniving main characters who use sex to get ahead in life--and have absolutely no pangs of conscience about it! And, like these other films, although the plan backfires a bit by the time the film is nearing the end, when the final moments rolls by on screen you see that evil really isn't punished and that bad people always manage to land on their slimy feet!!
John Gilbert who has been incorrectly maligned for "not being able to make the transition to talking films" clearly proves that this is NOT true. His voice is not high-pitched and his acting style transitioned very well--making this perhaps his best film. Alcoholism and his creating enemies in high places (in particular Louis B. Mayer) have much more to do with his career nosedive than his acting and speaking abilities.
In addition to Gilbert's excellent performance, a lot of credit goes to Paul Lukas. His character is very interesting because although he seems stuffy and one-dimensional, as the film reaches its climax, you'll most likely be amazed by his transition to "macho hero"--something you'd never associate with Lukas but that he managed to pull off quite well.
Gilbert's real-life wife, Virginia Bruce, is lovely and did a credible job, though she is easily overshadowed by the male leads. But, because they just married and they were both big stars, the studio made the most out of hyping this film as "starring Mr. and Mrs. John Gilbert".
Overall, the film is well written, directed and all the supporting acting is excellent as well. This is one of the best films of the year and has been unjustly forgotten.
The story for this film was created by the actor, John Gilbert, and he stars as an amoral gigolo who works as a chauffeur. Starting at the bottom in a household, through blackmail and his snake-like charm, he's able to create chaos all about him and worm his way into a trusted position among the staff. In many, many ways, this film is like a male version of RED-HEADED WOMAN (Jean Harlow) and BABY FACE (Barbara Stanwyck), as all three have similar plots involving conniving main characters who use sex to get ahead in life--and have absolutely no pangs of conscience about it! And, like these other films, although the plan backfires a bit by the time the film is nearing the end, when the final moments rolls by on screen you see that evil really isn't punished and that bad people always manage to land on their slimy feet!!
John Gilbert who has been incorrectly maligned for "not being able to make the transition to talking films" clearly proves that this is NOT true. His voice is not high-pitched and his acting style transitioned very well--making this perhaps his best film. Alcoholism and his creating enemies in high places (in particular Louis B. Mayer) have much more to do with his career nosedive than his acting and speaking abilities.
In addition to Gilbert's excellent performance, a lot of credit goes to Paul Lukas. His character is very interesting because although he seems stuffy and one-dimensional, as the film reaches its climax, you'll most likely be amazed by his transition to "macho hero"--something you'd never associate with Lukas but that he managed to pull off quite well.
Gilbert's real-life wife, Virginia Bruce, is lovely and did a credible job, though she is easily overshadowed by the male leads. But, because they just married and they were both big stars, the studio made the most out of hyping this film as "starring Mr. and Mrs. John Gilbert".
Overall, the film is well written, directed and all the supporting acting is excellent as well. This is one of the best films of the year and has been unjustly forgotten.