richard-1787 I wonder how this played in 1933, when it opened, the bottom of the Depression? It's not clever. It's just a lot of very spoiled aristocrats or American nouveaux-riches pretending to be aristocrats, filling up their days with empty chatter and not much else. Occasionally one is hurtful, but not cleverly so. You could never mistake this for good Oscar Wilde. (I wonder if the original play, which had a success on Broadway, is any more interesting?) It reminds me of nothing so much as the sort of English drawing-room drama spoofed in *Auntie Mame* (I think it was called *Midsummer Madness* there.)Constance Bennett is very beautiful, but that's about all I can find to recommend here.

beyondtheforest Fascinating, richly-textured morality play by the great Somerset Maugham, acted to perfection by a first-rate cast including Constance Bennett at her absolute peak. George Cukor directed with a master's touch, Max Steiner provided the score, and David O. Selznick's production was polished. Constance Bennett plays the disillusioned American wife of a British aristocrat, who finds out on her wedding day that her husband married her only for her money. She decides to take life on their terms, and becomes a cunning seductress among a large group of wealthy and cynical people. Her scheming, combined with the sharp, cynical dialog worthy of Oscar Wilde, and the general irony of the whole affair, makes for an amusing and intelligent film. The witty one-liners are to be cherished, as are the fabulous gowns, and the glowing beauty of Constance Bennett. The film was also one of the first to feature an openly gay character. It's a great treat to view the film 75 years later. Although society may have changed, human behavior has not.

fimimix "Our Betters" is about social climbing and what it takes to get into all the best parties - and be received" at the royal court, and be "accepted" by high-society. George Cukor did a great job of directing Sometset Maugham's play; this playwright didn't flinch at doing outrageous stories with outrageous characters. Those high-class, Brits who look down their noses at normal slobs, like we Americans are, are truly no angels ! Money and a "title" will get you lots of places.........Constantce Bennet and Anita Louise, two early-film beauties, in gorgeous gowns are a camp, but...........it takes the final scene, as everyone agrees, to make the movie a scream. I roared when I saw it. It involves a horny ole (titled) biddy being instructed in the tango by a painted queen with bitchy tones in his voice and flamboyant characteristics. TCM was doing a thing called "Screened Out", that is, gay scenes and characters the "code office" would not allow to be released to the general public. If they only had known! The "general public" knoew more about these "gays" then the office did.TCM had a gay man as co-host - I suppose he's the one who chose the several movies which had over-the-top sissies in them. If they had looked more closely for an outrageously gay actor, they'd have found the fabulous Ray (Rae) Bourbon, who could have put all the "pretending" actors they cast in their rightful places. "Rae" was a big drag-star who appeared many times with Mae West - a female drag-queen if ever there were one.....all over the world.The gay host told the truth that many gay men cringed when this character appeared, but did not mention that an actor's career usually went to the pits if they dared play anything NEAR being gay - I laughed myself silly, and gave myself a pat on the back to realize that I had helped all those over-the-top "butch" gays out of the closet. Go to a gay bar and watch all those "machos" play at being men. Watch this movie and laugh yourself to tears. We need more modern Movies like "Our Betters"......."closet" doesn't mean a thing to us........

Karen Green (klg19) No, it's not brilliant, although it has the woman-friendly stamp of director George Cukor all over it. If for nothing else, in fact, watch it for Hattie Carnegie's exquisite gowns, worn to perfection by the exquisite Constance Bennett. But if you give it half a chance, you might find yourself quite caught up in this tale of upper-class English morality, and the success it can bring to an early-disillusioned woman. Like "What Price Hollywood?" this is a collaboration of director Cukor, writer Jane Murfin, and star Constance Bennett, and they all shine. Bennett is especially adept at conveying the brittle facade that her character has constructed to hide the pain of an empty life.The dialogue is as crisp as it gets in the 1930s. Oh, and don't miss that final line. Too fab!