Give Me Your Heart

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Movie
Original title Give Me Your Heart
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1936
length 88 minutes
Rod
Director Archie Mayo
script Casey Robinson
production Hal B. Wallis
Jack L. Warner for Cosmopolitan Productions distributed by Warner Brothers
music Leo F. Forbstein
camera Sid Hickox
cut James Gibbon
occupation

Give Me Your Heart is a 1936 American film starring Kay Francis .

action

The intricate plot begins in England, where the American Belinda Warren meets and falls in love with the married nobleman Robert Melford. Belinda becomes pregnant and Lord Melford persuades the young woman to leave the child in the care of Rosamond Melford, Robert's crippled wife. With a heavy heart, Belinda lets herself be persuaded to give up her child. A short time later, Belinda returns to America, where she meets the fabulously rich James Baker. A montage makes the plot jump for two years and the plot starts again with a description of the conflicted marriage between Belinda and James. Belinda, who has never emotionally coped with the decision to give up her child, is unable to discuss her problems with James. The distance between the two seems insurmountable. Suddenly Belinda meets the Melford couple. The two women have a dramatic argument and, somewhat unexpectedly, they discover how much they love the child who is involved in the conflict. With the agreement between the former rivals to stay in regular contact from now on, Belinda goes back to James and finally explains to him the reasons for their years of mental agony.

background

Kay Francis had become the studio's biggest female star since moving from Paramount to Warner Brothers . In 1936 she earned $ 227,000 and owed her popularity to appearances in melodramas that dealt with all kinds of love affairs and emotional entanglements. Her predominantly female following admired Francis for her ability to play even the most troubled situations with calm dignity and emotional restraint. In addition, the studio made sure that the actress performed a new, spectacular ensemble at least every three minutes. Francis' image as a glamor queen was underpinned by her election as the best-dressed woman in America in 1936.

The choice of Give Me Your Heart , which was based on the popular play Sweet Aloes , with which Diana Wynyard, among others, celebrated success in 476 performances in London, was only logical in that it had all the ingredients for a Francis film: love problems, illegitimate ones Children, romantic entanglements in the best of company, a self-confident heroine, numerous opportunities for lavish cloakrooms and a happy ending. The focus of the plot on mother's love and the never-ending willingness to sacrifice for the benefit of a better future for one's own child was in the tradition of Madame X , The Life of Vergie Winters and The Secret of Madame Blanche .

Give Me Your Heart is a twist when there is a happy ending for Francis in the arms of an understanding millionaire. Despite her undeniable box office success, Kay Francis wasn't the first choice to film the material. The studio had initially tried, albeit in vain, to inspire Claudette Colbert or Ann Harding for the role. Louella Parsons , a good friend of Kay Francis, invited her and George Brent to repeat key scenes from the film on Parson's popular Hollywood Hotel radio show . The box office success not only earned Francis a new contract that raised her weekly salary to $ 5,250. He also set the pattern for the next few films, which, in Francis own words, consisted of "nothing but tears and fashion."

The film was produced by Cosmopolitan Productions , which was initially founded by William Randolph Hearst exclusively for the production of films with Marion Davies and which has now produced some films here in mid-1935 when Davies switched from MGM to Warner Brothers. In England, the film was released under the title of the underlying play as Sweet Aloes .

Reviews

The critics were very sympathetic to the film and the low-key nature of Kay Francis' portrayal.

In the New York Times , Frank S. Nugent wrote in his September 17, 1936 review:

“[Here comes a mature] and sophisticated drama about maternal love and applied psychiatry. This time it is Kay Francis [...] who, as Belinda, is plagued by terrible memories and crippling self-reproaches. […] Miss Francis, as always with a fantastic wardrobe and her usual problems with the pronunciation of her "r" s, plays Belinda with dignity and reserve. "

The magazine Film Daily read:

“[The subject] has been brought to the screen with good taste and intelligence. Kay Francis has a strong, emotional role and she is unusually good at it. "

Photoplay , one of the most influential magazines at the time, found it very benevolent:

"[The film] turns out to be perfect for Kay Francis' dramatic talent [...] her dramatic skills and her beauty together make a perfect result."

Time was a bit more critical , where the somewhat questionable moral of the story was pointed out.

“'Give Me Your Heart' features Kay Francis enjoying the joys of a forbidden romance. After giving birth to the bastard of an English aristocrat, she travels luxuriously to New York and marries a millionaire. "

Theatrical release

Production costs were an average of $ 436,000, which the studio invested in a Kay Francis film. Give Me Your Heart was very popular at the box office and grossed the comparatively high sum of 633,000 US dollars in the USA, to which a further 402,000 US dollars came from foreign markets. Total grossing $ 1,035,000 made Give Me Your Heart one of Francis' most financially successful films.

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ [Here comes an mature] and sophisticated drama of mother love and applied psychiatry. It is Kay Francis this time [..] who is the Belinda of the tortured memories and agonizing self-reproach. [...] Miss Francis, still amazingly owned and handicapped distressing difficulty with her "r's," plays Belinda with pathos and reticence.
  2. ↑ [The subject] is handled with good taste and intelligence. It gives Kay Francis a strong emotional role and she does unusually good work.
  3. ^ [The film] proves a perfect vehicle for the dramatic power of Kay Francis [...] her dramatic ability and beauty combine to offer a perfect result.
  4. ↑ "Give Me Your Heart" exhibits Kay Francis enjoying the rewards of illicit romance. Having born a bastard to a married spring of British Aristocracy, she travels De Luxe to New York and marries a millionaire.