Dodsworth

Dodsworth is a 1936 William Wyler film starring Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Mary Astor, David Niven, Maria Ouspenskaya, Spring Byington, John Payne (Miracle on 34th Street). It's an adaptation of a 1934 stage adaptation of the 1929 novel of the same name with Huston reprising his role in the stage play. Seeing Maria Ouspenskaya's name -The Wolf Man (1941), Waterloo Bridge (1940), Love Affair (1939)- is enough to convince me a movie is worth watching. Beyond that, it's a heartbreaking film in many ways, while still being a joy to watch.

Preview:

The Examiner gives it a full 5 stars, calls it "an exceptional film about the hapless pursuit of fulfillment," and says,

One of cinema's all-time best, director William Wyler, was at the helm of this little gem. The composition and choreography of his scenes -especially those between husband and wife as they bicker, argue, grow apart and, sometimes, come back together- are a joy to watch.

DVD Talk says, "Dodsworth is absorbing to watch. It's the strange exception to the rule; a movie made 65 years ago that not only hasn't dated, but is more balanced than many modern movies on the same subject." TCM has some information. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 87%.