It was hard to avoid trying to separate the story and script from the contributions of the director, actors, etc., because of the infamous author (particularly since I had just read Edward Dmytryk's memoir of the Hollywood Ten period). Certainly Lawson was never subtle, and the story is hardly more subtle than the title: a driven young man goes after the big bucks at the cost of his soul, and ends up alone, committing suicide. (The film ridiculously has him apparently shooting himself in the stomach and surviving in his first love's arms. SURE, that's the way the play ended.) However, any attempt to paint this pink, leftist, or even liberal would have to come from a knowledge of who the author was. The most unpleasant characterthe herois the only proletarian, his lack of grace or common manners seemingly inextricably tied to his poor grammar. Though he rails against the young fellows with a good education and the old-boy network, the good background doesn't help the chief example of that class much; he's soon out in the streets because of his mediocre job performance. As to the hero, the system readily gives him his chance to show his talents and to rise to the top. So what's his beef? The richMorgan and Tobinare much more sympathetic, have more feelings for others, and don't see money as the be-all and end-all.
One wonders if the play was more doctrinaire, because, good or bad, this is not really a story of ideas or dogmas. It's really about a guy with a sort of autismhe knows that other people have something he doesn't, but he doesn't get what it is. The film expresses this as a lack of ethics on his part, but it's really a lack of empathy. Where the film succeeds is in the performances, especially with Fairbanks' really extraordinary portrayal of the driven anti-hero. He adroitly mixes the character's insecurity in dealing with others and his self-confidence in his ability to succeed. His performance is responsible for the tension that gives the film its zing. Nydia Westman also gives a full bodied performance to a role that, say, Una Merkel might have given a more standard interpretation. Morgan and Tobin both do admirably in roles they played many times in their careers. The first scene between Fairbanks and Tobin is great pre-Code fare. Is it the players or the writing? Hard to say without actually seeing the words on paper. There's cleverness to the writing, but the formula would be more obvious with a lesser cast. The old story of a driven man seeking a beautiful woman as a trophy wife is handled well, and the issues aren't telegraphed. The Tobin character, essentially, is a victim without being a naive or innocent one. Somehow, when all is said and done, the screenplay's obviousness (the Coleen Moore character, who I haven't mentioned, for example) and its one-note theme seem to recede in the memory, and the satisfying performances and the interesting bits of business remain.
One wonders if the play was more doctrinaire, because, good or bad, this is not really a story of ideas or dogmas. It's really about a guy with a sort of autismhe knows that other people have something he doesn't, but he doesn't get what it is. The film expresses this as a lack of ethics on his part, but it's really a lack of empathy. Where the film succeeds is in the performances, especially with Fairbanks' really extraordinary portrayal of the driven anti-hero. He adroitly mixes the character's insecurity in dealing with others and his self-confidence in his ability to succeed. His performance is responsible for the tension that gives the film its zing. Nydia Westman also gives a full bodied performance to a role that, say, Una Merkel might have given a more standard interpretation. Morgan and Tobin both do admirably in roles they played many times in their careers. The first scene between Fairbanks and Tobin is great pre-Code fare. Is it the players or the writing? Hard to say without actually seeing the words on paper. There's cleverness to the writing, but the formula would be more obvious with a lesser cast. The old story of a driven man seeking a beautiful woman as a trophy wife is handled well, and the issues aren't telegraphed. The Tobin character, essentially, is a victim without being a naive or innocent one. Somehow, when all is said and done, the screenplay's obviousness (the Coleen Moore character, who I haven't mentioned, for example) and its one-note theme seem to recede in the memory, and the satisfying performances and the interesting bits of business remain.