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Brief Moment:
Columbia Pictures,
September 29, 1933
New York Times, September 30,1933
An Indolent Husband.
By F. S. N.
When the wealthy young man marries the beautiful
night club singer in defiance of his parents'
wishes, motion-picture audiences tend to slouch
lower in their seats and resign themselves to an
hour's contemplation of marital wrangling,
recriminations and misunderstandings. The climax is
never long in doubt; there are but a few
well-defined paths which the characters inevitably
must tread.
It is, then, definitely a tribute to the talents of
Carole Lombard and Gene Raymond that "Brief Moment,"
in which they are appearing at the Seventh Avenue
Roxy, possesses some vital spark that compels one's
interest and attention. The plot may be hackneyed,
but Miss Lombard and Mr. Raymond treat it as though
it were entirely new. An audience cannot help being
lured into a favorable reaction.
"Brief Moment," a very liberal translation of S. N.
Behrman's play that was produced here a few seasons
ago, deals with the romance of Abby Fane,
entertainer, and young Rodney Deane, whose $4,000 a
month allowance has prevented him from experiencing
the joys of toiling for his daily bread.
It is this fact that distresses Abby. Although she
has been a torch-singer, she has not forgotten the
old copybook maxims, the legend of the grasshopper
and the ants, and kindred pious sentiments dealing
with the importance of being earnest. At her
insistence Rodney goes to work for his father and,
as may be expected, has a terrible time. Eventually,
he plays truant. Abby discovers his defection and
the marriage is over.
The picture, naturally, does not end on this sour
note, for the producers, probably in the interests
of the NRA, bring Rodney to his senses and find him
a new job.
The story, as one may deduce from this summary, is
not particularly important, but the dialogue is well
handled, the photography and direction are able and
the performances uniformly good. Those who saw the
play will be disappointed in the film's treatment of
Harold Sigrift, the character played on the stage by
Alexander Woollcott. This Mr. Sigrift is a young man
about town and not, as in the play, an obese
sybarite with a flair for epigrams.
Brief Moment:
Columbia Pictures,
September 29, 1933 |
