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Private Lives

Production: Early September 1931- Mid November 1931;
Premiere: Not Available;
Released: December 12, 1931;
Production/Distribution Companies: Metro Goldwyn Mayer/Loew's Inc.;
Runtime: 87 min;
Country: USA;
Language: English;
Color: Black and White;
Sound Mix: Mono (Western Electric Sound System);
Available on VHS;

Cast: Norma Shearer as Armanda Prynne; Robert Montgomery as Elyot Chase; Reginald Denny as Victor Prynne; Una Merkel as Sibyl Chase; Jean Hersholt as Oscar; George Davis as the Bell hop;

Production Credits:
Produced by: Irving Thalberg;
Directed by: Sidney Franklin;
Writers: Hans Kraly; Richard Schayer; Claudine West;
Gowns by: Adrian;
Editing: Conrad A. Nervig;

Reviews:

“In this production directed by Sidney Franklin, Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery play through the almost actor-proof situations of the comedy with savior-faire which equals if it does not excel that of their predecessors-author Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence.”
Time, December 28, 1931

“Well, they’ve kept them all in-those swell lines of the Noel Coward play. And they’re both there-those two grand, impossible delightful characters who kept the show running on Broadway for years. Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery are excellent as the ex-husband and ex-wife who, having married others, run away with each other. A wild farce idea made snappy by sparkling and at times questionably dialogue. Una Merkel and Reginald Denny play the dull folk who they run away from.”
Photoplay, February 1932

“Norma Shearer matches Robert Montgomery’s well-known flair for light comedy and after the posey dramatics of late, reveals herself as a charming comedienne.”
Motion Picture, February 1932

“Miss Shearer’s own portrayal is in a few isolated scenes better than she has offered-notably, I would say, in the pledging of devotion between herself and her ex-husband when they first meet, and also at moments during their battles. The early portion of the portrayal is almost too brittle, and overemphasis of affectation is also a mark of the impersonation as a whole. This makes the general impression somewhat disappointing.”
Edwin Schallert in the Los Angeles Times, December 12, 1931

“Norma Shearer’s tempestuous performance will simultaneously astonish and delight her admirers. Robert Montgomery, with his American accent well under control, does well in a part which must have held many difficulties for him. The weakest of the cast of five players is Una Merkel, whose diction is faulty and who seems to have been miscast.”
John Gammie in The Film Weekly (London), February 6, 1932

“Sidney Franklin’s direction is excellent and Norma Shearer as Armanda Prynne gives an alert, sharp portrayal. She appears to have been inspired by the scintillating dialogue, and taking all things into consideration, it is her outstanding performance in talking pictures.”
Mordaunt Hall in the New York Times, December 19, 1931