It is obvious from the moment that Katharine Hepburn walks towards the stairwell towards her English family home that motion pictures have found an amazing new find. And when she first encounters John Barrymore and says, "I think I am your daughter", there is no doubt about it. While the idea of Hepburn playing a young British lady might seem bizarre, she truly pulls it off. Barrymore, having spent many years in a mental institution (apparently for shell shock), has arrived home just as his ex-wife (Billie Burke) is preparing to marry another man. He has no idea that during the time of his stay, Burke divorced him because he seemed to have no chance of recovery. Now, Hepburn learns from psychiatrist Henry Stephenson that she may have inherited the potential of having a mental illness, or that her offspring might have it as well. She is engaged to handsome (but dull) David Manners and must make a decision of what to do. Burke, too, has doubts about what the right thing to do is, and Barrymore's over protective sister (Elizabeth Patterson) isn't any help.
With the exception of Manners, the entire cast is excellent. You really feel the pain and guilt everyone surrounding Barrymore feels, particularly Hepburn and Burke. Known mostly for his sometimes hammy performances and flamboyant personal life, Barrymore gives a wonderful theatrical performance that works in this case because of the nature of the character he plays. Even Patterson's meddlesome aunt has understandable motivation, which makes her really likable rather than a pain in the neck if played incorrectly.
Nobody will ever confuse Burke's sympathetic wife and mother with her most famous role as Glinda in "The Wizard of Oz" or her later feather-brained matrons. When given a serious role, Burke could deliver a very touching performance and keep the helium like sounds she had in lighter parts out of it. Hepburn's voice, too, is not the imitatable one she had in "Morning Glory" or "Stage Door" (especially every time she had to utter the simple word "really") or the shaky matronly voice of "The Lion in Winter" or "On Golden Pond". She is almost Garbo-like in her looks and demeanor, American royalty on celluloid. No wonder America had a love affair with her on screen for over 60 years!
With the exception of Manners, the entire cast is excellent. You really feel the pain and guilt everyone surrounding Barrymore feels, particularly Hepburn and Burke. Known mostly for his sometimes hammy performances and flamboyant personal life, Barrymore gives a wonderful theatrical performance that works in this case because of the nature of the character he plays. Even Patterson's meddlesome aunt has understandable motivation, which makes her really likable rather than a pain in the neck if played incorrectly.
Nobody will ever confuse Burke's sympathetic wife and mother with her most famous role as Glinda in "The Wizard of Oz" or her later feather-brained matrons. When given a serious role, Burke could deliver a very touching performance and keep the helium like sounds she had in lighter parts out of it. Hepburn's voice, too, is not the imitatable one she had in "Morning Glory" or "Stage Door" (especially every time she had to utter the simple word "really") or the shaky matronly voice of "The Lion in Winter" or "On Golden Pond". She is almost Garbo-like in her looks and demeanor, American royalty on celluloid. No wonder America had a love affair with her on screen for over 60 years!