Four Eyed Monsters
Advertisement
Sign in
Username   Password         Forgot password?
Wanna join? Tour Spout | Sign up
A Bill of Divorcement
  • 0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rate this movie.

Rent it, watch it, find it

Advertisement
Synopsis
Katharine Hepburn made her auspicious film debut in the otherwise undistinguished A Bill of Divorcement. Based on a play by Clemence Dane, the film is set on the day that Hepburn's mother, Billie Burke, is to divorce her insane and long-institutionalized husband John Barrymore. But Barrymore escapes from the asylum and returns home, only vaguely aware of the passage of time (he was shell-shocked during WWI). His presence puts Burke in an uncomfortable spot, especially since she plans to wed Paul Cavanaugh. Pressured by her idiotically traditional family to renew her vows with her first husband, Burke is saved from a lifetime of misery by her spunky daughter Hepburn, who takes care of her child-like father. The film's attitude towards male-female relationships, not to mention its archaic approach to the problem of mental illness, make Bill of Divorcement a chore to sit through today. Its saving grace is the warm rapport between Katharine Hepburn and John Barrymore (contrary to Hollywood legend, they did not despise one another). Even given its dated quality, Bill of Divorcement is more palatable than its empty 1940 remake, which starred Maureen O'Hara and Adolphe Menjou. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast

John Barrymore Hillary Fairfield
Billie Burke Margaret Fairfield
Paul Cavanagh Gray Meredith
Bramwell Fletcher Gareth
Katharine Hepburn Sydney Fairfield
David Manners Kit Humphrey
Elizabeth Patterson Aunt Hester
Henry Stephenson Doctor Alliot

Production Crew

Carroll Clark Art Director
Sidney Hickox Cinematographer
Max Steiner Composer (Music Score)
W. Franke Harling Composer (Music Score)
Josette de Lima Costume Designer
George Cukor Director
Arthur Roberts Editor
Mel Burns Makeup
Clemence Dane Play Author
David O. Selznick Producer
Harry Wagstaff Gribble Screenwriter
Howard Estabrook Screenwriter
Marion Balderstone Technical Advisor
Year: 1932
Runtime: 76
Country: USA
MPAA Rating:
Category: Feature

Genre
Drama

Produced by
RKO Pictures

Release
by Radio Pictures

Awards
1932 - 10 Best Films - Film Daily
1932 - 10 Best Films - New York Times
1932 - Best Picture - National Board of Review