Easy Virtue *** (1928, Isabel Jeans, Franklin Dyall, Eric Bransby Williams, Robin Irvine, Ian Hunter) – Classic Movie Review 2287

‘Virtue is its own reward’ they say — but ‘easy virtue’ is society’s reward for a slandered reputation.

Director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1928 romantic film is a rather unsatisfactory silent movie of Noël Coward’s interesting 1924 play about a wife called Larita Filton (Isabel Jeans), who is married to a drunkard, Aubrey Filton (Franklin Dyall). Larita falls for a portrait painter, Claude (Eric Bransby Williams), who then commits suicide, and Aubrey files for divorce on the ground of adultery.

Larita is named as co-respondent in the scandalous divorce case that follows and, now a disgraced woman of easy virtue, she leaves England to rebuild her life on the French Riviera, where she meets  a rich younger man, John Whittaker (Robin Irvine). They marry, and the divorcée now hides her shocking past from her new husband and his well-to-do family, but John’s family finds out Larita’s secret.

The film unites Hitchcock with Isabel Jeans, the star of his 1927 silent Downhill, here playing the divorcée Larita Filton.

‘It contained the worst title I’ve ever written,’ confessed Hitchcock. ‘The photographers gather outside the divorce court. Eventually she appears, her arms out, and says “Shoot, there’s nothing left to kill!” ’

For the many admirers of Hitchcock’s work and patient general audiences there are flashes of the Master’s visual stylistics, film-making virtues and editing skills on show, as well as an intriguing story to follow. But it’s hard to get away from the typically arch and stilted silent movie performances and over-acted melodramatics. And, of course, without witty spoken words, Coward’s play more or less is entirely lost.

Also in the cast are Ian Hunter, Violet Farebrother, Frank Elliott, Darcia Deane, Enid Stamp-Taylor, Dorothy Boyd and Benita Hume. Hitchcock is seen holding a walking stick near the tennis court in his usual cameo appearance about 21 minutes into the film.

It was successfully remade in 2008 with Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas.

http://derekwinnert.com/easy-virtue-2008-jessica-biel-ben-barnes-colin-firth-kristin-scott-thomas-kris-marshall-classic-movie-review-3033/

The running time is 80 minutes with the restored version running 89 minutes.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2287

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