18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ME, MYSELF, AND I..., December 21, 2001
This review is from: Craig's Wife [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Rosalind Russell is sublime in the role of Harriet Craig, a selfish woman whose life revolves around her material possessions and her veneration of them. She married her husband, Craig (John Boles), not out of love, as he did her, but for the comfort and security that he could provide for her.
Blinded by his love for her, Craig does not see what his aunt, Harriet's own niece, and the housekeeper know all too well, until it is nearly too late. When he has the veil torn from his eyes, after Harriet demonstrates just how little she really cares about him, Craig is then able to see Harriet as she really is and as the others see her. She is then left alone among her sterile possessions, doomed to lead a lonely existence.
Ms. Russell's breakout performance in this film rightly catapulted her to stardom. She was able to take an inherently unsympathetic character and make her somewhat sympathetic, a difficult task, indeed. John Boles is wonderful as the earnest and well meaning Craig, who ultimately realizes that he had given his heart to the heartless.
Billie Burke is delightful as the neighbor. Jane Darwell, Dorothy Wilson, Alma Kruger, and Thomas Mitchell round out the strong supporting cast Based upon the Pulitzer Prize winning play by George Kelly, this play made a smooth transition to the silver screen.
This film was later remade as "Harriet Craig", starring Joan Crawford. The viewer should make an attempt to see them both, as they are both excellent. It is a film to be viewed by those who simply love a good drama. Those who love vintage films will also enjoy it.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FILM WHICH BROUGHT ROZ RUSSELL INTO PROMINENCE, December 22, 1999
This review is from: Craig's Wife [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Based upon the Pulizer Prize winning play by George Kelly, CRAIG'S WIFE is definitely director Dorothy Arzner's most successful venture and it's generally acknowledged as the picture which opened up Rosalind Russell's career in films. The brilliance of this 1936 version (it was filmed before in the twenties with Irene Rich and in 1952 with Mommie Dearest herself, Joan Crawford) comes from the star, Rosalind Russell, who was borrowed for the picture from MGM. Russell always had a talent for bringing warmth to the many cold and calculating characters she played in films; CRAIG'S WIFE made her a star in her own right for she had the rare gift of making unsympathetic characters acceptable to audiences. This film was very well received by the critics, and the post note at the end of the film lingers in the memory: "People who live to themselves are generally left to themselves".
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SUPERIOR DRAMA, September 5, 2001
This review is from: Craig's Wife [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This is Rosalind Russell's movie all the way, she's great as the selfish and self-centered woman, who worships her material possessions. All of her relationships to people (husband, relatives, in-laws,etc) are second and subordinated to her love for her house, its furnishing & ornaments. Intelligently made by the sole women director of that era, Dororthy Arzner. Great sets designed with the aid of ex-star, turned into interior decorator, Mr. William Haines. A scarcely known classic, due to the former and more well known Joan Crawford version of the story, titled "Harriet Craig".
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