John's performance in A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — John Barrymore
Maddyclassicfilms — 10 years ago(July 13, 2015 04:52 AM)
What a tearjerker this is. John Barrymore is at his absolute best as Hilary Fairfield a man who having spent a number years in an asylum returns home to his family. He returns home to a grown up daughter(Katharine Hepburn in her screen debut)and his long suffering wife(Billie Burke), his wife can't stand to be in the same room as him anymore.
This is such a sad film. Barrymore is heartbreaking as the man who comes to realise he may no longer have a place in his own home anymore. This film shows the strain mental illness can have not just on the sufferer but on their family.
Barrymore and Burke are excellent and the scene where he breaks down in her arms gets me everytime. Just like the hug between Barrymore and Hepburn. Perhaps at times some of the acting can be a little theatrical but if you can overlook that then you should enjoy this quite a bit.
If you haven't seen this I highly recommend it. If you have seen it what did you think of it?
I think John gives one of his best performances in this film and he really plays that role from the heart. He makes you feel Hilary's pain and fear and you feel so sorry for him.
Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly
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