Dame Mary Viner ( Dame Florence Vidor ) lives life full of drudgery in her ordinary cottage together with her infirm father. She also has two neighbours in the vicinity with different but yet similar interests in her. The first suitor is Herr Percival Fream (Lawrence Grant), an old millionaire who offers Mary a life of luxury the day she accepts his marriage proposal to marry him. This would allow her to change occupations on that day - from washing, cleaning and sweeping to more elegant tasks, like wearing "haute couture" gowns or to bear the guests who come to dinner at night.
The second one is Arnold Furze (Gary Cooper), a young but poor farmer who only can offer Mary the same dreary life and his love
and believe this German aristocrat, in spite of the fact that he is handsome Cary Grant in his twenties, that's a poor deal
obviously Dame Mary, like all smart girls around the world, have always preferred to wear Manolo's rather than gumboots.
The most interesting aspect of "Doomsday", directed by Herr Rowland V. Lee and starring the popular star Dame Florence Vidor (who ended her silent career when the talkies appeared) as well as the promising actor Herr Cooper, is that it is a film with implied sensuality, elegant and discreet. As an example of these erotic, silent matters, there are two remarkable and subtle scenes in the film. There's Mary and Arnold kissing each other passionately in a hay pile. And when the same Mary wants to divorce Herr Percival because their marriage wasn't, ehem
consummated, there are the many close-ups of Herr Gary Cooper's smile and teeth with libidinous glances among those lovers.
And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must offer to one of his fat German heiress a life of luxury
thanks to her money.
Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/