Three women (1924)

Movie
German title	Three women
Original title	Three women
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1924
length	83 minutes
Rod
Director	Ernst Lubitsch
script	Hanns Kräly; Ernst Lubitsch
production	Warner Bros., Burbank, Cal.
camera	Charles Rosher ; Charles Van Enger
occupation
	May McAvoy : Jeanne Wilton; Pauline Frederick : Mabel Wilton, her mother; Lew Cody : Edmund Lamont; Marie Prevost : Harriet, his lover; Willard Louis : Harvey Craig; Pierre Gendron : Fred Armstrong, Jeanne's college friend; Mary Carr : his mother; Raymond McKee : Fred's friend;

Drei Frauen is an American silent film drama from 1924 directed by Ernst Lubitsch . The screenplay by Hanns Kräly and Ernst Lubitsch is based on the novel Lillis Ehe (1914) by Jolanthe Marès .

action

Californian Mabel Wilton is no longer a very young, but all the more wealthy widow. Aware of her own transience, she decides to establish a relationship with one of her applicants, the handsome Edmund Lamont, who is about the same age. The notoriously financially clumsy ladyboy shows much more interest in her husband's legacy than in Mabel herself. When he meets her pretty young daughter Jeanne, who has just arrived from New York in California to visit her mother he only has eyes for the eighteen year old. Since Jeanne assumes that the relationship between her mother and Edmund is primarily a business one, she allows herself to flirt with the older man. Both retire to Jeanne's apartment. When Mabel gets wind of this, the cynical Lamont offers her a deal. He would not compromise Jeanne in public with the fact that she had seduced her, nor would he destroy her good repute if she, Mabel, complied with his wish to give him Jeanne's hand. Mabel is dismayed by this unscrupulousness, but also worried about both reputations, and so she inevitably gives her consent. This in turn brings the young Fred Armstrong, a medical student in love with Jeanne, into great emotional turbulence.

Jeanne has several advantages for Lamont: firstly, she is impressed by his urbane, nonchalant manner and secondly, if she marries, she becomes half the heiress of Wilton's considerable fortune. She is not averse to marrying the charming, calculating greyhound, whom the believers in the form of Harvey Craig, to whom he owes a hefty sum, are not averse. And so it comes to a hasty wedding. But the marriage doesn't last long. Lamont turns out to be the pig he is and soon cheats on his wife with the spirited and cheerful Harriet. Because of her, Edmund even got into a serious fight one night, in which Fred of all people helped him. The college friend does not take advantage of this situation and hides details of this nocturnal encounter from Jeanne. Instead, he investigates the connections around Harriet, Lamont and their financial needs. In this way he learns of the deal between Edmund and Jeanne's mother and the true nature of this relationship. Finally there is a heated argument between Mabel and Edmund, in which Jeanne's mother kills the villainous son-in-law. A process ensues in which Mabel admits the act. When one learns the circumstances of the crime, Mabel is acquitted by an understanding jury. Now Jeanne and Fred can start a life together.

Production notes

Three Women premiered in New York City on October 5, 1924 . The comedy premiered in Germany on September 3, 1925. The film constructions are from Svend Gade . Heinz “Henry” Blanke from Berlin, who emigrated to the USA with Lubitsch at the end of 1922, was one of two of his assistant directors.

The cost of production was approximately $ 329,000 and the worldwide box office grossed approximately $ 438,000.

The film is still in existence today; copies are available in the Munich Film Museum, in the collection of the George Eastman House (Rochester) and in the Cinémathèque Royale (Brussels).

Reviews

In the New York Times , star critic Mordaunt Hall dealt with the Lubitsch film. There it said on October 6, 1924: “Sometimes it appears as if the two authors had sacrificed the plausibility of the story for their enthusiasm for creative possibilities, which they visualized rather than scripted. In fact, the narrative element is undoubtedly of the same high standard as the direction. The characters are weak, with the exception of Mrs. Wilton, who, given her age, appears to be a fairly natural character even when she is acting like a fool. Mr. Lubitsch's best work will not be seen in a production where he is involved in the script of the story, and that effort is more of an obstacle to directing this film. (…) Lew Cody cleverly portrays his Lamont worse than most villains. Pauline Frederick gives a good performance as a fading beauty. Miss McAvoy is attractive and personable as Jeanne, and Miss Prevost is fiery and relentless as the scheming and dressed up Harriet. Although Pierre Gendron naturally gives the youthful hero, he doesn't fit the role very well. Willard Louis is excellent at portraying Harvey Craig. "

Halliwell's Film Guide characterized the film as follows: "Subtle satirical comedy [!], Not one of the director's masterpieces, but with enough barbs to watch".

Individual evidence

↑ Three women. Director: Ernst Lubitsch. Illustrated Film Week 1926, accessed on May 10, 2020 .
^ Three Women in the New York Times
↑ In the original: “Sometimes it seems as if the two authors had sacrificed plausibility in their enthusiasm for pictorial possibilities they visualized rather than wrote. In fact, the narrative is by no means up to the high standard of the direction. The characters are weak, except for Mrs. Wilton, who is quite a natural character of her years, even if she is foolish. Mr. Lubitsch's best work will not be seen in a production in which he helps in the writing of the story, as the effort even handicaps him in making the picture. (...) Lew Cody cleverly makes Lamont worse than most scoundrels. Pauline Frederick gives a fine performance of the fading beauty. Miss McAvoy is attractive and sympathetic as Jeanne, and Miss Prevost is fiery and adamant as the scheming and bedizened Harriet. Although Pierre Gendron is natural as the young hero, he is not very well suited to the part. Willard Louis is splendid in his portrayal of Harvey Craig. "
^ Leslie Halliwell : "Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, pp. 1027 f.
↑ In the original: Subtle satirical comedy; not one of the director's masterpieces, but with enough barbs to keep one watching. "

Web links

Three women at filmportal.de
Three women in the Internet Movie Database (English)

[1] Three women. Director: Ernst Lubitsch. Illustrated Film Week 1926, accessed on May 10, 2020 .

[2] Three Women in the New York Times

[3] In the original: “Sometimes it seems as if the two authors had sacrificed plausibility in their enthusiasm for pictorial possibilities they visualized rather than wrote. In fact, the narrative is by no means up to the high standard of the direction. The characters are weak, except for Mrs. Wilton, who is quite a natural character of her years, even if she is foolish. Mr. Lubitsch's best work will not be seen in a production in which he helps in the writing of the story, as the effort even handicaps him in making the picture. (...) Lew Cody cleverly makes Lamont worse than most scoundrels. Pauline Frederick gives a fine performance of the fading beauty. Miss McAvoy is attractive and sympathetic as Jeanne, and Miss Prevost is fiery and adamant as the scheming and bedizened Harriet. Although Pierre Gendron is natural as the young hero, he is not very well suited to the part. Willard Louis is splendid in his portrayal of Harvey Craig. "

[4] Leslie Halliwell : "Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, pp. 1027 f.

[5] In the original: Subtle satirical comedy; not one of the director's masterpieces, but with enough barbs to keep one watching. "