James Whale – One More River (1934)

in 1931-1940, Drama, James Whale, USA February 6, 2014 2 Comments 1,494 Views

IMDB reviewer: Highly superior soap
…a Galsworthy novel, adapted by playwright R.C. Sheriff (author of the great
antiwar play “Journey’s End”), directed with great assurance by James Whale, and
with a near-amazing cast. As an abused high society wife trying to wrench free of her
extremely nasty husband, Diana Wynyard is ladylike and touching. A very young
Jane Wyatt is her confidante, Henry Stephenson is a helpful lawyer relative, and
Frank Lawton is the appealing young man who falls in love with her. All are upstaged
by Mrs. Patrick Campbell, a formidable presence bellowing every line with relish.
It’s remarkably adult for its day, with a modern attitude about adultery (our heroine
doesn’t, but the movie seems to believe she should). It’s literate and
fast-moving, and sandwiched between Whale’s “The Invisible Man” and “The Bride of
Frankenstein,” it’s one of several examples of how assured he was outside of the
horror genre.<