ChicRawIdol
A brilliant film that helped define a genre
Janis
One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
Kimball
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Haven Kaycee
It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
morrison-dylan-fan
Despite having heard her name a number of times,I have somehow never got round to seeing Joan Crawford in a film!,which led to me searching around on Amazon UK for a film that would allow me to finally break my non-Crawford watching chain.The plot:Meeting up with her long-term lover Richard I. Field,mistress Diane Lovering starts to hope that she is about to become part of Field's cruise ship business empire,thanks to Field announcing to Lovering that he is finally going to divorce his wife Louise.Despite having hardly seen his wife for over a year,Field's plans are left in tatters,when Louise reveals that she won't divorce him,due to the doors that have opened since she has gotten the 'Mrs.Field' title.Desperate to heal the sadness that Lovering has suffered from his failure to get a divorce,Field arranges for Lovering to go on a cruise ship of his,which will allow her to go on an all expenses paid South American cruise.Spending time on her own thinking about Field,Lovering soon catches the attention of a wealthy ranch owner called Michael 'Mike' Bradley,which will lead to Lovering wondering if she is really chained to Field's love.View on the film:Teaming up for the 4th (of 8) times,Clark Gable and Joan Crawford each give excellent performances,with Gable showing a devilish side which contains real warmth,as Bradley finds himself getting closer to Lovering.Walking round the cruise ship with a dazzling elegance,Crawford places Lovering's concern for Field right at the heart of the character,thanks to Crawford showing a real charm in the largely improvised scenes she shares with Gable,which along with showing the characters flirtatious side,also displays Lovering's fear of someone getting hurt.Taking the character in an unexpected route,Otto Kruger gives a masterful performance as Richard I. Field,as Kruger keeps away from dipping in sleaze,to instead give Field a genuine sense of sincerity,as Field finds himself unable to stop the chain that he has with Lovering from breaking.Filmed just after prohibition had been lifted in the US,director Clarence Brown displays the wealthy world that the character's inhabit by covering the movie with lashings of booze,which are joined by glamorous tracking shots which show Crawford's beauty and also show the beauty of the luxury cruise (something that only the very rich could afford at the time) that Lovering is on.Sadly not being able to match the glamour that Crawford gives the movie,or the stylish tracking shoots that Brown uses,the screenplay by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, John Lee Mahin and Edgar Selwyn keeps away from looking at the seedier aspects of the title,which leads to no real sparks being allowed to set off between Lovering and her would-be lover's,that cause this chain to break apart far too soon.
bkoganbing
Chained was the fourth film that paired Clark Gable and Joan Crawford, the fourth of eight. It's basically a piece of romantic fluff with no great strain on either star. Clark Gable was the leading man Joan did the most films and vice versa.Crawford is the well kept mistress of Otto Kruger who would like to marry her, but his wife Marjorie Gateson won't let him go without breaking him in alimony and child support. After making that abundantly clear to Crawford and Kruger, Joan goes off on a South American cruise where she runs into rancher Clark Gable who has a nice size spread on the Pampas. Nothing terribly original in Chained, it's your basic romantic triangle film. What got me about it after seeing is how terribly terribly civilized everyone is behaving, even Gateson after a fashion. There are few enough Hollywood films where Kruger's character would invite Gable to have breakfast with him and Joan knowing full well he's there to take her away.Anyone who's familiar with Hollywood romances in the days of the big studios knows full well how this is going to turn out. Chained is a pleasant enough romance to satisfy the fans of Gable and Crawford.
wes-connors
Beautiful secretary Joan Crawford (as Diane Lovering) enjoys both working and sleeping with the boss, Otto Kruger (as Richard I. Field). Mr. Kruger wants to marry his willing mistress, but the wife refuses to grant him a divorce. To console a disappointed Ms. Crawford, Kruger sends her on a luxury cruise. On the ship, Crawford spurns "hot and bothered" Stuart Erwin (as John "Johnnie" L. Smith) at the bar, intending to be faithful. Then, she meets sexy rancher businessman Clark Gable (as Michael "Mike" Bradley)...Will Crawford stay "Chained" to Kruger, or fall in love with Gable?This is an MGM box office star power production, with Crawford and Gable doing what they do best. "When she's in his arms, it's the grandest thrill the screen can give!" Not quite, but director Clarence Brown and cameraman George Folsey handle the performers very well; the combination showed Crawford in her best light. Highlights include a fast stroll aboard ship, and a shimmering swimming pool sequence. The later includes young Mickey Rooney and pal Delmar Watson cavorting with Gable and Crawford.****** Chained (8/31/34) Clarence Brown ~ Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Otto Kruger, Stuart Erwin
beyondtheforest
Forget the plot, as it's the typical 1930s love triangle. You've seen it all before, probably, but Clarence Brown adds his usual sure touch, and the plot unfolds satisfyingly. Crawford is at her most beautiful and glamorous in the role of Diane Lovering. Each scene is like part of a fashion show, with Crawford modeling the latest and greatest of 1934 fashions by Adrian. She is given the full MGM star treatment here, ala Garbo or Shearer. It was said that this was the film in which the cinematographer, and Joan, learned of the lighting which produced what we recognize now as the Joan Crawford face. The viewer can certainly tell in the stunning closeups. Gable is again playing dashing, robust, virile, and has plenty of clever dialog. It's not a standout role for him, but Crawford and Gable always create plenty of sexual chemistry to keep the viewer interested. Overall, CHAINED is an entertaining film, thanks to gorgeous art deco sets, costumes, fine performances by the entire cast, and the usual Gable-Crawford chemistry. The big stars, sex, and glamour manage to carry a fairly routine script.