While the plot of "Dynamite" is hard to believe, it is really interesting and nothing like the dull epics the director (Cecil B. DeMille) would become known for making. The film begins with a group of rich jerks--the type who love parties but don't make anything of themselves and have little regard for others. They are smug and superior...and have absolutely no reason to feel superior to anyone. One of these rich jerks, Cynthia (Kay Johnson), is in love with a married jerk, Roger (Conrad Nagel). Roger's wife really doesn't care--all she wants is a good settlement. Here's the rub--Roger doesn't have any of his own money and his wife-to-be is expected to buy off the wife--otherwise she won't grant him a divorce. While Cynthia is more than willing, she cannot, as her fortune is tied up in a will with an interesting clause--Cynthia can't touch the money until she is married. And, she can't marry Roger until there's a payoff. So, to get around this, Cynthia finds a man on death row and marries him--knowing that in a few days he'll be dead. Then, she'll inherit the money, pay off the wife and marry Roger. So far, so good. The marriage goes off as planned but soon a monkey wrench is thrown into the works--a man confesses to the crime for which the guy (Charles Bickford) in about to be executed! So now, Hagon (Bickford) is STILL married to Cynthia and Cynthia cannot marry Roger until both marriages are dissolved.
The scene where Hagon arrives, quite unexpectedly, on his wife's doorstep is priceless. She has no idea he's not dead and she is about to have a party. Hagon won't leave--as far as he's concerned, he IS married! So, he stays. And, when Cynthia's party guests arrive, Hagon is horrified to see that they're all a bunch of worthless jerks--jerks who drink and party to excess but otherwise are vacuous idiots. He's so burned up by this crowd that he explodes--and throws them out of HIS house!! Although he isn't the least bit apologetic towards Cynthia for doing this, he does realize the marriage cannot work and agrees to leave as well as a divorce. So far, this is a VERY complicated and unusual plot. What's to become of Cynthia, Roger and Hagon? See the film and find out for yourself. There's much more to it and my description only covers the first half of this very unusual film.
While what follows is a bit predictable and a bit overly melodramatic for my taste, it still is a pretty good film---particularly for 1929. Most 1929 films have not aged well--due to poor sound quality (since sound was so new the people making films didn't know how to use it AND the equipment was lousy). Most of these films are just too stilted and talky. However, compared to the films of the day, I must admit that DeMille was very, very good and the overall product is quite nice. For today's audiences, I'd rate it a 7. Compared to other films of the era, a 9. So, an overall score of 8 seems reasonable. I was particularly impressed because unlike most of the later DeMille films, this one emphasized characters and had a lot more depth than his huge spectacles.
The scene where Hagon arrives, quite unexpectedly, on his wife's doorstep is priceless. She has no idea he's not dead and she is about to have a party. Hagon won't leave--as far as he's concerned, he IS married! So, he stays. And, when Cynthia's party guests arrive, Hagon is horrified to see that they're all a bunch of worthless jerks--jerks who drink and party to excess but otherwise are vacuous idiots. He's so burned up by this crowd that he explodes--and throws them out of HIS house!! Although he isn't the least bit apologetic towards Cynthia for doing this, he does realize the marriage cannot work and agrees to leave as well as a divorce. So far, this is a VERY complicated and unusual plot. What's to become of Cynthia, Roger and Hagon? See the film and find out for yourself. There's much more to it and my description only covers the first half of this very unusual film.
While what follows is a bit predictable and a bit overly melodramatic for my taste, it still is a pretty good film---particularly for 1929. Most 1929 films have not aged well--due to poor sound quality (since sound was so new the people making films didn't know how to use it AND the equipment was lousy). Most of these films are just too stilted and talky. However, compared to the films of the day, I must admit that DeMille was very, very good and the overall product is quite nice. For today's audiences, I'd rate it a 7. Compared to other films of the era, a 9. So, an overall score of 8 seems reasonable. I was particularly impressed because unlike most of the later DeMille films, this one emphasized characters and had a lot more depth than his huge spectacles.