There are comedies that amuse, and then there are comedies that dazzle. Private Lives (1931) is most certainly the latter. This early talkie, adapted from Noël Coward’s brittle, brilliant stage play, is a glittering cocktail of biting dialogue, romantic chaos, and Old Hollywood elegance. Directed by Sidney Franklin and brought to the screen by MGM, the film is an intoxicating swirl of repartee and romance; but it is Norma Shearer, in one of the most stylish performances of her career, who sets the whole thing aglow.
Shearer stars as Amanda Prynne, a woman recently remarried and trying, unsuccessfully, to leave her volatile past behind, only to discover her ex-husband (Robert Montgomery as Elyot Chase) honeymooning at the same French resort. The setup is pure Coward: chic, improbable, and utterly irresistible. What follows is a madcap escape to Paris, complete with shouting matches, rekindled passion, broken furniture, and bruised egos.
Shearer, already a reigning queen at MGM thanks to The Divorcee and A Free Soul, proves her mettle here as a comedienne of supreme timing and taste. Her Amanda is not just glamorous but refreshingly self aware. She’s witty, unpredictable, and delightfully modern. Shearer’s vocal delivery of Coward’s lines is both crisp and sensual, brimming with intelligence and bite.
The chemistry between Shearer and Montgomery is electric. They clash, flirt, and circle one another like dancers in a perfectly timed routine. Their scenes brim with mischief, but there’s also a surprising emotional undercurrent that elevates the comedy. While theirs is a toxic love, it’s also a real one, portrayed with a rawness that was rare in pre-code Hollywood.
Unlike some stage to screen adaptations of the era that felt stilted or overly theatrical, Private Lives moves with grace and wit. Franklin’s direction never intrudes; it lets the dialogue sing and the actors shine. There’s a quiet sophistication in the pacing, and the film’s refusal to moralize about Amanda and Elyot’s tempestuous affair is remarkably ahead of its time.
What’s most striking is how timeless the film still feels. Its themes — the complexity of love, the thrill and danger of passion, the absurdity of social convention — resonate nearly a century later. And Shearer, luminous in every frame, embodies these contradictions with effortless glamour and intelligence.
Private Lives is a brisk, bubbly triumph. It is one of MGM’s most stylish gems of the early ’30s, and a sparkling reminder of why Norma Shearer remains one of classic Hollywood’s most captivating stars. In a performance both feather-light and flint-sharp, she gives us not just Amanda Prynne, but the definitive screen Amanda: wickedly witty, heartbreakingly human, and impossible to forget.
