Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Micitype Pretty Good

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

mark.waltz In the case of defense attorney William Powell, it's as close as his beautiful and noble wife (Myrna Loy) who knows more than she's telling. Their marriage has struggled a bit because of his career, and she briefly finds herself entranced by another man who ends up being murdered. Powell is brought in to defend the accused (Isabel Jewell) who claims innocence. But as evidence begins to point to Loy being at the scene, she becomes desperate to keep her secret.An enjoyable melodrama, still Manhattan, and equally scandalous. Powell and Loy prove their excellence as a team, and the dark-haired Myrna is as elegant and sophisticated as Powell's previous brunette screen partner, Kay Francis. She's still the perfect wife and mother, and wins sympathy for her plight. Una Merkel provides fine support as Myrna's confidante, with a great supporting cast including Harvey Stephens as the murdered man (not a stereotypical snake), Cora Sue Collins as the young daughter, Edward Brophy as Powell's assistant and Rosalind Russell as Powell's client in the early scenes. I should point out the adorable Jessie Ralph as a major witness, that salty voice of wisdom so scene stealing in many films of the 1930's.Yes, this story has been told on screen, particularly during the golden age, so many times, but with the class of stars and the lavish treatment, it becomes really mesmerizing. The team would move from soap opera to screwball comedy after this, but the two serious entries in their teaming prove that they indeed were capable of doing every kind of film, even a musical with "The Great Ziegfeld". This may have the label of a woman's film, but many elements of it can be appreciated by men as well.

pepe4u22 This movie had in it the elements that made the Thin Man a smash. The film crackles when Myrna and William Powell are on the screen. And it almost looks like a Thin Man movie with a lot of supporting actors from the series appearing in this movie. The movie is about a woman married to a successful and neglectful attorney and implies he may have had an affair with his client when he was out of town. During this time a barfly somehow is able to manipulate our heroine Myrna into spending sometime with him for teas, walks then try to blackmail her when she breaks it off. Someone else is blamed and for the rest of movie Myrna has a guilty conscious yet our heroine in the end does the right thing she thinks but in a pre M Night twist which i will not disclose all turns out. This movie was a bit slow and yes i had a hard time believing that a sophisticated lady would fall for such a douchebag but Myrna and Bill were awesome as usual. Not thin man quality but better than most.

CindyH I disagree with planktonrules's review for a variety of reasons. While it is true that this was obviously not a grand film, it is still worthy of a casual peek. After all, Loy and Powell fans will always appreciate seeing them together on the screen, even if it is not perfection.The plot does sound interesting. John Prentice (William Powell) is an affluent lawyer who not only neglects his wife Evelyn (Myrna Loy) but has an affair with a client. In the mean time lonely Evelyn meets an apparently charming Lawrence Kennard who, unbeknownst to her, has only one motive: money.Evelyn Prentice innocently corresponds with Mr. Kennard who uses the letters as leverage for his blackmail. While the letters are innocuous, the wording can be understood as either confirming an affair or only confirming a friendship. Naturally Mr. Kennard plans are to use them to confirm a non-existent affair.When John wishes to reconcile with his wife, Evelyn notifies Mr. Kennard that their friendship is over. Infuriated, Mr. Kennard says he wants money in exchange for the letters; an amount that Evelyn cannot possibly pay. Grabbing a gun from an open drawer, Evelyn demands the letters. When he refuses, a gun shot is heard and Evelyn is seen leaving Mr. Kennard's apartment.Guilt ridden after hearing that a woman has been accused of Kennard's murder, Evelyn asks her husband to take her case and even more twists are to come.Unlike what planktonrules claims, it is entirely believable for that day in age. While overdone, perhaps, the plot is neat and does work.I don't give it a terribly high grade, but I do feel that the acting was very well done, the plot was clear and the ending was satisfying. That makes it a sufficient film, deserving any time spent viewing it.

mkilmer 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.