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Simply A Masterpiece

Fresh and Exciting

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

There's nothing particularly *awful* about the script or story of Evelyn Prentice, but there's nothing that sparks out that it's particularly deep or original either. It runs just shy of 80 minutes and it was surely one of those "programmers", a movie that was put through by the studio to get some select butts in seats - not too dissimilar, of course, from much of the history of Hollywood, just that it doesn't really distinguish itself in any artistic way outside the box. In other words, William K. Howard puts the camera where it goes, gets his mediums and close-ups, and moves along to the next set-up once he's got what he needs. Scenes even fade-out and fade-in at the point where, perhaps with a more confident or creative director, they might go on or start a little sooner, give a little more depth to the characters. Not all terrible filmmaking, but, perhaps still not so impressive, it's... standard.It's interesting to see that in 1934 William Powell and Myrna Loy got not one, not two, but THREE leading vehicles with one another, two of them melodramas, and both of those were with Powell as a lawyer. But where one of those other films was a smash of a comic mystery (The Thin Man, of course, which set them off to be super-stars), and the other a story that also featured Clarke Gable (Manhattan Melodrama, an underrated effort all things considered), this one shows them having to do a little extra leg-work with the script. It gives them moments, to be sure, especially in the first act with those little moments that creep into a marriage like with the Prentices - he a successful but usually-at-work lawyer, her the stay-at-home mom with too much time on her hands - where the actors show doubt and dismay very subtly. A moment where Loy discovers a note and necklace with some shocking conclusions to take from it, her restraint and her eyes say it all. Powell, too, gets those moments.It was them, and some decent supporting work from Isabell Jewel (as the woman on trial for killing her husband) and Una Merkel (best-friend comic relief, though not so much comic but more, um, less dramatic I guess), that kept me interested and engaged in the film. There is also, I should admit, a courtroom climax that even in its midst of... is there another word for melodramatic (?) surprises does make for entertaining viewing as far as how the script makes its quick turns. A movie like Evelyn Prentice, with its relatively cute scenes of father-mother-daughter interactions (those are actually some of the best, showing the warmth that Powell could have acting with children, Loy too) and the sort of stagy but fine moments of will-they-won't-they infidelity, that reminds me of the axiom that a fair script can be made into a good movie with good actors.If you like Powell, and particularly if you love Loy, this shows them doing good, honest dramatic performances and interactions *despite* the constraints of the material. It also makes for a helluva surreal viewing if you watch it on the same night as, say, one of the Thin Man flicks.

Besides the obvious factors of a great cast of that era, a great writer of women's films and how the writers, director and actors were able to tell all without showing it all - leaving much to the imagination, one of the great surprises of this film is a short scene in a nightclub where two male dancers, one white and one black, do a lovely tap dance number. This is one of the first integrated dance sequences in a white nightclub I remember seeing on film.If anyone has more information about the dancers, and the history of this scene, i would be delighted to hear more about it! What a huge surprise.And you may know that Rosalind Russell is in the film, her film debut and she is great as ever, with the camera loving her. She would soon go on to greater film roles like her comedy with Cary Grant, that classic, My Girl Friday.The set designs are wonderful and reflect that period of Hollywood studio work. The cinematography too is wonderful. And the drama between William Powell and Myrna Loy is as wonderful as always. Una Merkel is a delight, filling in the gaps and the dialog of that period is also delightful.I enjoyed it. If you enjoy those great black and white 1930s classics, I think you will also enjoy this little gem.

In EVELYN PRENTICE, I saw the importance of family and the real meaning of "'til death do us part," from the standard marriage vows. Work comes between John and Evelyn Prentice (William Powell and Myrna Loy). A sweet-talker comes between John and Evelyn Prince. Their daughter Dorothy brings them together, as does love.As simple as this sounds, as possibly hokey, it mattered in 1935, and it made for a good movie. It matters in the 21st Century, as well, and the movie is still good.The villain in this film is portrayed as totally devoid of value, his killing beneficial to the human race. Vigilante justice is an uneasy concept, but it works. The sleazy sweet-talker is shot, and John Prentice is the best attorney around.If you like Powell and Loy beyond the Thin Man series, and there are several great ones, you'll enjoy this. Powell's character is a sophisticated as ever, Loy's as fantastically intelligent.My wife and I enjoyed this film.

I saw this movie last night, it kept me guessing how it will end, (which I won't spoil for you). Yes, some of the action is not plausible in today's court room drama, but for a pure entertainment value, this movie is a "9". Myrna Loy looks fabulous in this movie, but with a best friend, like her girl-friend in this movie, you don't need enemies. Your best friend should help keep you out of trouble not get you in trouble. There are a moral issues to this movie, watch out for the friends you keep, pick better friends, and it is not all greener on the outside of the street. I won't tell you anymore, I won't spoil it for you. Go to eBay or Amazon and buy this movie, you will enjoy the hour or so that you will spend watching this movie. Not as well-known as other movies starring Myrna Loy, but "Evelyn Prentice" is most definitely worth your while.