Emma (1932)

This was truly Marie Dressler's finest hour. She was justly nominated for an Oscar for the lead role of Emma in this film. Clarence Brown, who directed so many of Greta Garbo's films, had directed Dressler as Marthy in ANNA Christie (1930/1) with Garbo, and clearly appreciated her unique screen power by casting her in EMMA. It is not often that a 64 year-old actress can entirely dominate a film, but that is what happens here. Among the cast was the young Myrna Loy. The film is based on an original story by Dressler's close friend, the screenwriter Frances Marion. It concerns a middle-aged woman named Emma who is the maid to a family of a man with three children. When the story starts, his wife is in the middle of childbirth. She dies and the baby is also not breathing, but Emma saves the little boy. She then acts as mother to the four children until they are grown up. She also nurses Mr. Smith, the ailing father, a gentle and caring person excellently played by Jean Hersholt. After serving the family selflessly for 32 years, Emma's worth becomes suddenly clear to Mr. Smith and he proposes marriage. He then tragically dies on their honeymoon, having made a will leaving everything to Emma because his unruly children are not responsible enough to handle the money, so that he entrusts Emma with managing it for them. The eldest three turn on her viciously and take her to court, accusing her of having murdered their father to grab the money. This is a very emotional film with lots of comical moments, but it is also a bit of a weepie. It is a magnificent film of its time, and deserves wider recognition. It shows the best and worst sides of human nature. As for Marie Dressler, may her reputation never die.

EMMA (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1932) directed by Clarence Brown, is not a screen adaptation to the famous Jane Austin novel of the same name, but actually an original screenplay by Frances Marion for Marie Dressler, whose popularity soared following her Academy Award winning performance in MIN AND BILL (1930). In the format tradition of Dressler's leading roles, she appears in another sentimental tale with insertions of comedy where her character wins both heart and admiration from those around her, particularly the movie going public of 1932. With the opening credits rolling to the underscoring of "In My Merry Oldsmobile," the story begins with a 1911 prologue set in a Long Island home where Emma Thatcher (Marie Dressler) works as a nanny in the Smith household. As Mrs. Smith (character unseen) struggles with her pregnancy, she finally gives birth to an infant son born without breathing. With Emma's help, the baby survives while Mrs. Smith succumbs, leaving her husband, Frederick Smith (Jean Hersholt), an inventor by profession, to go through life rearing the infant and older siblings, Gypsy (Edith Fellows), Isabel (Dawn O'Day) and Billy (Wally Albright) with Emma's help and guidance. Twenty years pass. Mr. Smith, is now a millionaire living in an estate with additional servants, Matilda (Leila Bennett), the maid, Drake (Wilfred Noy), the butler, with Emma still in charge of the household, while the children, now adults, still looking up to Emma for advise and insurance. Unlike the others, Ronnie (Richard Cromwell), the youngest raised by Emma as her very own, looks up to her with great admiration, even addressing her as "beautiful." Of her many worries, Emma's biggest concern is Ronnie's love for aviation. After 32 years of steady employment, Emma finds it's time to take her long awaited vacation, thus, leaving the Smith family to be on their own. Frederick, however, after taking her to the train station, proposes to Emma. They marry and go to Niagara Falls on their honeymoon. Having learned of this news in a newspaper, the Smith children, Gypsy (Barbara Kent), married to Count Pierre Marlin (Andre Cheron); Isabelle (Myrna Loy), a snob; and Bill (George Meeker), find it very humiliating, with the exception of Ronnie, who finds it to be great. After Smith dies of an unexpected heart attack, Emma is left everything according her late husband's will. The Smith children, however, feel Emma married their father only for his money and take her to court on a murder charge.Marie Dressler, far from being a physical beauty, gives a beautiful in depth performance as Emma, a hard working, devoted nanny in a much deserved Academy Award nomination. A well scripted theme on how lovable little children grow to become mean enough to turn against the one who sacrificed everything for them is quite essential, even today. What makes this particular Dressler comedy-drama succeed is the absence of her frequent co-star, Polly Moran, who's presence is usually more annoying than amusing, something that would have thrown this story off balance had she appeared. Rather than having Moran in support, there's Leila Bennett in the minor role of a comical housekeeper. Though comedy has its limitations, one scene played strictly for laughs is where Emma encounters a "flight tutor" airplane that goes way out of control when pressing the wrong buttons. Of the Smith siblings portrayed, Richard Cromwell stands out as Emma's very own Ronnie. His very likable performance doesn't take any attention away from both Dressler and the youthful Myrna Loy, early in her MGM career. Loy offers a fine characterization of an unsympathetic rich girl. Her charming and witty screen personality for which she's become famous would develop with each passing movie over the next few years. George Meeker, Kathryn McGuire and Barbara Kent as the other snobbish siblings, do well enough for themselves, but don't gather enough attention from contemporary viewers to post comments as opposed to the more famous Loy. Jean Hersholt, however, up to this time notable for playing villains, offers a heartwarming portrayal in whatever scenes he's in. One worth noting is where he tries to bid farewell to his housekeeper, Emma (Dressler), at the train station, capably handled with charm and humor. Other members of the cast consist that of John Miljan and Purnell B. Pratt as rival courtroom attorneys, and Dorothy Peterson appearing briefly as Mrs. Winthrop. Of the handful of movies for which Dressler appeared, starting with the Mack Sennett feature length comedy, TILLIE'S PUNCTURED ROMANCE (1914) that co-starred the legendary Charlie Chaplin, for years her name simply rests on the frequently revived all-star production of DINNER AT EIGHT (1933). As for EMMA, it's certainly Dressler's finest achievement on screen and her most underrated. Regardless of its age, it's still a timely story with a moral message quite relevant after all these years. Available on DVD, EMMA can be seen and appreciated whenever broadcast on Turner Classic Movies cable channel. The next time anyone interested in hiring a nanny wonderful with children, Emma, like the movie itself, is highly recommended. (***)

In its first part ,"Emma" is a comedy the highlight of which is the housekeeper's first "flight" ;but in the second part ,the story turns really dramatic .Clarence Brown was the poet of childhood ("the yearling" " National Velvet" ) and in "Emma" ,the children (and even the husband)now in their twenties have remained very childlike.There's a good chemistry between Marie Dressler and Richard Cromwell (who is best remembered as one of the three Bengal lancers in Hathaway's great classic)who calls her affectionately "beauty".The moral may seem a bit reactionary today : a housekeeper must stay a housekeeper ,just like a black servant must stay a black servant in the contemporary " imitation of life" ;but it was the thirties and one of the rules of melodrama .Emma is an endearing character anyway.

This is just one of several films that make me wish Marie Dressler had lived to make more movies after the advent of sound movies. Her career was on the quick upswing when she died and every movie I saw her in was greatly improved by her performance.This is a heart-wrenching movie about a lonely bachelor who marries the nanny who helped raise his kids. He incorrectly assumed that since she was like a member of the family that the kids would readily accept her. However, he soon dies after the wedding and the kids instead treat her horribly--especially when they find out the fortune was left to her. Watch it and be prepared to watch excellent acting and writing--there's just too little of it in most movies.