Smilin' Through

Director: Sidney Franklin Sidney Franklin

Overview

Director Sidney Franklin originally adapted Jane Murfin and Jane Cowl's play Smilin' Through for the silver screen in a 1922 silent film starring Norma Talmadge and (the other) Harrison Ford. Remaking his own film, Franklin directed Norma Shearer in this 1932 talkie. Leslie Howard plays John Carteret, an old man whose fiancée (Shearer) was killed on their wedding day by her jilted former suitor (Fredric March). Years later, Carteret is forced to take care of his orphaned niece Kathleen (also Shearer), who looks exactly like his his former betrothed. The niece soon falls in love with Kenneth Wayne (also March), the son of the jilted suitor. Filled with bitterness and resentment about the past, Carteret does all that he can to stand in the way of the blossoming romance. Smilin' Through was once again adapted in a 1941 version directed by Frank Borzage and starring Jeanette MacDonald.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/02/2014
UPC:	0883316222201
Original Release:	1932
Source:	Warner Brothers
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Sales rank:	44,877

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Norma Shearer	Kathleen, Moonyean Clare
Fredric March	Jeremy Wayne
Leslie Howard	John Carteret
O.P. Heggie	Dr. Owen
Ralph Forbes	Willie Ainley
Beryl Mercer	Mrs. Crouch
Margaret Seddon	Ellen
Cora Sue Collins	Kathleen as a Child
Forrester Harvey	Orderly
David Torrence	Gardener
William Axt	Composer

Technical Credits

Sidney Franklin	Director
Albert Lewin	Producer
Irving Thalberg	Producer

Editorial Reviews

A first class romance, Smilin' Through is totally unbelievable -- but it never really asks for believability. The whole point of a movie like Smilin' is that it may be set IN the real world, but it is definitely not OF the real world. With its message that true love redeems all and that nothing must be allowed to stand in the way of true love, Smilin' is clearly not interested in educating the intellect but in milking the emotions, and it does this beautifully. Yet at the same time, the films avoids being a shameless "weepie." Great credit for this is due Sidney Franklin's excellent direction. He clearly is committed to the material and allows the emotions to billow forth freely when appropriate; yet he also knows when to pull the reins in contrast and to create greater impact. Under lesser hands, the far-fetched story might seem ridiculous; in his, it feels just right, even as the viewer knows it's totally artificial. Sidney is also blessed with a superb cast, with a luminous Norma Shearer turning in one of her finest performances and a wonderful Fredric March demonstrating why he was one of the screen's finest actors in the 1930s and 1940s. Leslie Howard is hampered somewhat by some unconvincing "age" make-up, but overall is quite effective.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler