Honestly, for a film from 1931 this is as perfectly made as possible. The story is totally absorbing which will appeal to everyone whatever your tastes. The production and acting is superb - faultless and thoroughly enjoyable.
Claudette Colbert is perfect as 'the rich girl who lives on the hill.' She's adorably lovely, naively unaware of her own privilege and innocently unaware of the consequences of her entitled lifestyle. Everyone who knows Lydia loves her and that's all down to Colbert's natural acting. You thoroughly believe that Lydia is a real person you're watching, a real person whom you could fall in love with.
Fredric March is always one of the most naturally likeable guys of the pre-code era and that's no exception in this. His character is a little too good to be true at times but that's needed to offset some of the stuffy over-privileged attitudes of the 'old money' patriarchs of the town. His character is the voice of the common man. He's the one who asks the question, the theme of this picture: should justice be the same for the rich and the poor. That it's actually debated whether rich people have to go to jail seems weird and antiquated at first but then again, have things really changed?
The injustice theme would have been handled very differently, much more vociferously were this made by Warner Brothers. Were it a WB film, her time in jail would probably have made Lydia a much more remorseful like some sort of sexy Scrooge on Christmas Day. In this, her character isn't really changed that much which makes you feel a little annoyed with her but that's actually more realistic and adds to the authenticity.
Claudette Colbert is perfect as 'the rich girl who lives on the hill.' She's adorably lovely, naively unaware of her own privilege and innocently unaware of the consequences of her entitled lifestyle. Everyone who knows Lydia loves her and that's all down to Colbert's natural acting. You thoroughly believe that Lydia is a real person you're watching, a real person whom you could fall in love with.
Fredric March is always one of the most naturally likeable guys of the pre-code era and that's no exception in this. His character is a little too good to be true at times but that's needed to offset some of the stuffy over-privileged attitudes of the 'old money' patriarchs of the town. His character is the voice of the common man. He's the one who asks the question, the theme of this picture: should justice be the same for the rich and the poor. That it's actually debated whether rich people have to go to jail seems weird and antiquated at first but then again, have things really changed?
The injustice theme would have been handled very differently, much more vociferously were this made by Warner Brothers. Were it a WB film, her time in jail would probably have made Lydia a much more remorseful like some sort of sexy Scrooge on Christmas Day. In this, her character isn't really changed that much which makes you feel a little annoyed with her but that's actually more realistic and adds to the authenticity.