The title "The Rich Are Always With Us" is long and well, stupid, as the only correlation to the movie is that the protagonist, Caroline, is crazy rich. Maybe it was a snide allusion to the fact that the movie was filmed during the Great Depression but the rich are carrying on as usual.
This movie is just 71 minutes long, but manages to tell a story. Back then, directors used headlines or calendars or something along those lines to illustrate the passage of time. This one starts by showing "1900" and two women gossiping about a new baby named Caroline, the richest child in America. Then "1920" and two women are gossiping about Caroline getting married. And then "1930" and the movie opens. If it was filmed today, those few moments would be drawn out to create a 2 or 3 hour movie, in order to tell the story before they get to the actual story. If nothing else, I appreciate how movies back then were not bogged down with so much info and pre-story the way they are now.
It does, however, put you at a slight disadvantage when the film actually begins, as all you know is there's a rich 30 year old woman named Caroline and ACTION! Basically it is about the lives of five people--Caroline Grannard, of course, and her husband Greg, who are on the verge of a divorce. There's also Malbro (played by an impossibly young and beautiful Bette Davis) who I believe is Caroline's best friend, but there is a phone call between the two where Malbro asks "How's Mother doing?" so maybe they are sisters? George Brent plays handsome author Julian Tierney. Malbro likes him, but she is quite aware that he is in love with Caroline so she's more chummy than romantic with him. There's also the whiny and annoying Allison Adair who appears to be a hangers-on, of sorts. She has her eyes set on Greg. The Ven diagram needed to sort this out would be ridiculous... Caroline is likable, but you also want to yell at her. She has a perfectly fine husband, all the money and fabulousness a person could ever want for, yet she is in love with Julian. She admits this, but she also is having a hard time letting Greg go, especially when she realizes Allison is attempting to get her hooks into him. When she sees the two kissing, she decides it is time for the divorce so she goes to France to take care of it. Julian has asked Caroline again and again to marry him and she keeps putting him off. He has to go to Europe on business so they briefly meet up and it appears that Caroline finally realizes that she stands to lose him as well, if she doesn't make a decision soon. Back in the states, though, she finds it hard to cover her jealousy when she first hears that Greg and Allison have married, and then later hears they are expecting a baby. Despite her indecisiveness it finally looks as if she and Julian are making a go of it. And then she gets word that Greg and Allison were in a dreadful accident. Allsion was killed and Greg might not make it. So of course Caroline rushes to his side and Julian feels as if he will always be second best. He decides to go to Europe and never return. However, Caroline surprises us all when she realizes there's a judge recuperating in the hospital as well. She has the judge officiate at an impromptu wedding for her and. . . Julian. A twist ending, I love it! Movies in the 30s and 40s almost always had the woman 'doing the right thing' instead of following their heart. Despite the stupid movie name, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
This movie is just 71 minutes long, but manages to tell a story. Back then, directors used headlines or calendars or something along those lines to illustrate the passage of time. This one starts by showing "1900" and two women gossiping about a new baby named Caroline, the richest child in America. Then "1920" and two women are gossiping about Caroline getting married. And then "1930" and the movie opens. If it was filmed today, those few moments would be drawn out to create a 2 or 3 hour movie, in order to tell the story before they get to the actual story. If nothing else, I appreciate how movies back then were not bogged down with so much info and pre-story the way they are now.
It does, however, put you at a slight disadvantage when the film actually begins, as all you know is there's a rich 30 year old woman named Caroline and ACTION! Basically it is about the lives of five people--Caroline Grannard, of course, and her husband Greg, who are on the verge of a divorce. There's also Malbro (played by an impossibly young and beautiful Bette Davis) who I believe is Caroline's best friend, but there is a phone call between the two where Malbro asks "How's Mother doing?" so maybe they are sisters? George Brent plays handsome author Julian Tierney. Malbro likes him, but she is quite aware that he is in love with Caroline so she's more chummy than romantic with him. There's also the whiny and annoying Allison Adair who appears to be a hangers-on, of sorts. She has her eyes set on Greg. The Ven diagram needed to sort this out would be ridiculous... Caroline is likable, but you also want to yell at her. She has a perfectly fine husband, all the money and fabulousness a person could ever want for, yet she is in love with Julian. She admits this, but she also is having a hard time letting Greg go, especially when she realizes Allison is attempting to get her hooks into him. When she sees the two kissing, she decides it is time for the divorce so she goes to France to take care of it. Julian has asked Caroline again and again to marry him and she keeps putting him off. He has to go to Europe on business so they briefly meet up and it appears that Caroline finally realizes that she stands to lose him as well, if she doesn't make a decision soon. Back in the states, though, she finds it hard to cover her jealousy when she first hears that Greg and Allison have married, and then later hears they are expecting a baby. Despite her indecisiveness it finally looks as if she and Julian are making a go of it. And then she gets word that Greg and Allison were in a dreadful accident. Allsion was killed and Greg might not make it. So of course Caroline rushes to his side and Julian feels as if he will always be second best. He decides to go to Europe and never return. However, Caroline surprises us all when she realizes there's a judge recuperating in the hospital as well. She has the judge officiate at an impromptu wedding for her and. . . Julian. A twist ending, I love it! Movies in the 30s and 40s almost always had the woman 'doing the right thing' instead of following their heart. Despite the stupid movie name, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.