Review of Ex-Lady

Ex-Lady (1933)
5/10
"Cheap! Cheap! My daughter -- cheap!"
8 September 2014
Bette Davis Pre-Code film about a "free-spirit" (Davis) who doesn't believe in marriage. Eventually she caves to pressure and marries beau Gene Raymond (dig those eyebrows). Marriage takes its toll and ol' Gene starts fooling around on Bette. That's not good. Hope these two crazy kids can make it work.

So-so soaper is a remake of the Barbara Stanwyck movie Illicit. This version is less creaky than that one but still its only real value is to Pre-Code buffs and those who admire its unconventional subject matter, which was daring for the time. Despite poor posture, young Bette looks great in one tight dress after another. She enunciates every word in that manner that was so popular among "sophisticated" people in movies back then (fatha, motha, stahved, etc). Fun stuff. If you're a big fan of Bette, check it out. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.
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