Perfect Understanding (1933) User Reviews

Bland, dull "modern" romance drama...

[AlsExGal · 5/10 · 6 May 2023]

...from United Artists and director Cyril Gardner. Posh British society couple Judy (Gloria Swanson) and Nicholas (Laurence Olivier) decide to get married, but with a "perfect understanding" that they won't tie each other down, and allow the other to maintain their freedom. When Nicholas has a fling with an old flame, Judy spends the night with another man, and their open marriage is sorely tested.

By 1933, these "sophisticated open marriage" melodramas were already old-hat, and nothing new is added here. Swanson and Olivier have very little chemistry, and Olivier has yet to develop much screen charisma (plus he looks downright sickly in his swimsuit scene). The obtrusive, bombastic score is also a detriment. This was an expensive failure for Swanson, who also produced. Co-star Michael Farmer was Swanson's husband at the time. Director Gardner was hired as editor but took over directing duties when original pick Rowland V. Lee was fired.

I Love You So Much That I Hate You

[marcslope · 6/10 · 8 May 2013]

That's the song Gloria sings over the closing credits; the reverse could be emblematic of the film, a trying-to-be-chic trifle that is nonetheless amusing in its stilted sophistication and odd cinematography. Gloria and Olivier swan about modern London--she's an American interior decorator, he appears to be independently wealthy--and do some rather pre-Code making out before deciding to marry. Misunderstandings quickly pile up as each, though nominally terribly terribly in love with each other, contemplate extramarital affairs. There's also intrigue about his suspicion that she's carrying someone else's child--it's far too racy to have been made in the U.S. at the time, and was filmed in Britain by Gloria's production company. The dialogue strains to be Somerset Maugham witty and the supporting cast is nothing special, though Miles Malleson has a nice bit. Gloria is certainly glamorous and good at eye-batting, and Olivier, playing a spoiled bachelor it's hard to root for, has some charm. Also fun is the hilariously overemphatic musical scoring--every comma seems to be accentuated with a crescendo. Not much of a movie, but an interesting look at two stars at uncomfortable times in their film careers.

A melodrama, morality play and love story set in 1933

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 8 April 2017]

"Perfect Understanding" is a love story - not a romance, but a story of real love. And, it's about faithfulness and infidelity, jealousy and hatred, and forgiveness and happiness. The story takes place in 1933. The setting is among the wealthy in England and on the playgrounds of Europe.

The leads are an American heiress and a landed Englishman who have met and fallen in love. Gloria Swanson plays Judy Rogers, who has come to England after her recent inheritance. Laurence Olivier is the wealthy Englishman, Nicholas Randall, whom Judy has fallen for. He is the nephew of Lord Portleigh (played by Nigel Playfair). Naturally, there's a love triangle in the person of Lady Stephanie Fitzmaurice. She's the woman "destined" for Nick before Judy came along. Yet, she has been married to Sir John Fitzmaurice for some time.

The plot has an interesting twist in one of the characters, Ivan Ronnson. Played by John Halliday, he is a world explorer who goes off for years at a time on adventures of discovery. Apparently, he's a friend of Lord Portleigh. Ronnson is an observer of the goings-on. While being a member of the cast, he's always on the sideline -- never in the thick of things. He feels love for Judy. While he adds a philosophical overtone to the plot, he's also a potential third member of another love triangle - being the other man in Judy's life.

As filmed in 1933, this movie is a bit heavy with melodrama. It seems to have carried over some of the old techniques of the silent film era that don't serve up well with sound. The first is the heavy musical score and crescendos to emphasize dramatic scenes or spots in the story. The second is the overly long panning, with no dialog, to close-ups of characters - in this case, Judy, for dramatic effect. Some of the technical production is not the best, and the script at times seems unnecessarily and laboriously slow.

The acting is very good and a nice look especially at a young Laurence Olivier in only his seventh film. Both he and Swanson give very good performances here, but not exceptional ones. Olivier was age 25 when "Perfect Understanding" appeared on the silver screen. Swanson was old enough to be his mother and about to turn 44. They are a fine match here, but without his mustache, he likely would have had a much more boyish appearance that would have contrasted with the more mature (though quite beautiful) appearance of Swanson.

The better significance of this film is that it is a fine morality play. The story shows many things well. The harm that infidelity does to a marriage based on deep love. The hurt, confusion and distrust that come from infidelity. It's interesting in that the greatest jealousy comes from the one who has been the betrayer. Nick becomes incensed with jealousy after he was unfaithful. It is a fine portrayal of dealing with hatred and having love restored through suffering, faithfulness and forgiveness. This film does pack a lot into what seems to be a nice simple love story on the surface.

There are some other subtleties here worth mentioning. I wonder about the very release of this movie in 1933. Most of the world was reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. That included England and the rest of Europe, as well as the Americas. So, here's a film about the very wealthy who seem oblivious to the world around them, except for how they might enjoy it. How did audiences receive a film like this at that time? Few people in the world would be able to take a honeymoon all around Europe that lasted for many weeks. And then there is the hedonistic lifestyle shown in Cannes on the French Riviera. The wealthy youth in the Cocktail Regatta were a sharp contrast to the reality of life for the vast majority of the world's peoples.

Some of the films made about the high life of society in New York and elsewhere during the Depression could be seen as uplifting spirits. They were about good times that the everyday people could dream about or imagine as possible one day. And they usually involved people having a fun time with comedy and romance. Not so this movie and its setting.

The movie has some philosophical and other interesting lines. The Quotes section on this IMDb Web page for the film has those bits of dialog. Here's a description of some of the "fun" to be had at the playground for the rich of the day, at Cannes, France. Miles Malleson plays The Announcer for the Cocktail Regatta.

He explains the event: "Now the object of the race is suicide. The competitors line up here at the bar. They swallow their cocktails They swim out to their boats and they start up the motors, with luck. Then they make for At the raft there, they pick up more cocktails. Ah, yes, they do. Then they head across to the island where, if still conscious, they have yet more cocktails. And from there they head back to the finish here, if there is any. And let there be no moaning at the bar when they put out to sea."

Superstars Gloria Swanson & Laurence Olivier

[drednm · 10 September 2006]

One of five talkies Gloria Swanson made in her early talkie period. This is a forgotten gem of a romantic comedy-drama about "two modernes" whose marriage is not a traditional one but a "perfect understanding." Like THE TRESPASSER, INDISCREET, TONIGHT OR NEVER, and MUSIC IN THE AIR, a solid film with a terrific performance by its star--Gloria Swanson. But along with WHAT A WIDOW (a lost film) this was a flop at the box office after the smash hit talkie debut with THE TRESPASSER in 1929.

Swanson plays an American interior designer who marries a wealthy Brit, Laurence Olivier, but only after agreeing to have a perfect understanding of a marriage. After a lengthy honeymoon in Europe Swanson heads back to London to do a few jobs while Olivier stays behind in Cannes. Enter the spoiler: a woman who schemes to break up the marriage. Back in London Olivier admits his indiscretion so Swanson sets out to get even. She can't do it but he believes she did. Divorce proceedings begin. Nothing really new here but the two stars are wonderful and gorgeous and worth every minute of screen time.

Co-stars include John Halliday, Nora Swinburne as the spoiler, Miles Malleson, Genevieve Tobin, Miles Malleson (who also wrote the script), and Swanson's then husband, Michael Farmer.

Terrific scenes include a "cocktail regatta," which involves cocktails served at various stops during a speedboat race at Cannes! The race is the catalyst in breaking up the marriage. Swanson also sings a nice song, "I Love You So Much That I Hate You."

Both Swanson and Olivier look great and the sets and lighting are beautiful in the newly restored print. The plot twist at the end is neat and satisfying.

Imperfect Movie!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 13 July 2014]

Perfect Understanding (1932) seems to be the movie that everyone loves to hate. But I enjoyed it – right up to the last quarter-hour or so. I thought Gloria Swanson was in fine form, even though super-lovely Genevieve Tobin had the more suitable role. Admittedly, Laurence Olivier tended to be a bit dull at times, though his boat-racing sequence was a genuine thrill. My only real quarrel was with the climactic courtroom scenes which – although produced on a grand scale – were just too outlandishly ridiculous to be taken seriously. I was also a bit disappointed that John Halliday's role disappears about halfway through. It would have made more dramatic sense to save him for the courtroom climax which needed a steadying influence and now comes across as just too absurdly farcical. Halliday would have given these scenes a believable basis in solid reality. I thought this stratagem was so obvious that I actually kept waiting for his re-appearance, but no such luck. Now I wonder what Halliday was doing in the movie at all. Why go to a lot of trouble to introduce a character into the plot, make a big to-do about establishing his credentials and then drop that character when you most need him? It doesn't make sense! And there's yet another player who is elaborately introduced into the action and then simply dropped – although she is still referred to in the dialogue – namely the super-lovely Genevieve Tobin! Well, maybe it was a case of making a film in haste and repenting at leisure. Available on an excellent Cohen DVD.

The understanding should be is that marriage involves arguments.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 6 October 2015]

Show me a marriage without fights, and I'll show you a tragic honeymoon where one of the couple suddenly died. That only takes place on soaps or in film noir where one of the two is killed by the other for their fortune. That isn't the case here. The couple is young and healthy, and they are played by two of the biggest legends of the golden age of stage and screen-Gloria Swanson and Laurence Olivier.

Making the unrealistic agreement that they will never quarrel, their goal is quickly proved false. Totally happily married couples are bored eventually, and when Olivier goes out of town, a boating accident during a strange ritual causes him to spend the night in the company of the sexy blonde Genevieve Tobin. Confessing all to his trusting wife, he isn't thrilled by the sudden accusation that she spent the night with an aging admirer. This sends them into divorce court and leads to other accusations, debate and a predictable outcome.

If it wasn't for Swanson and Olivier, this might have just been another society drawing room/bedroom comedy of manners. It was the very same year that Garbo turned down Olivier in the male leading role in "Queen Christina", but the still to be discovered British stage star lucked out by winning over Gloria. She would only make one more film before a hiatus, becoming sort of royalty and only making periodic stage appearances before entering screen mortality in "Sunset Boulevard ".

Still elegant and beautiful to look at, this is a recent rediscovered classic. Swanson is both sweet and feisty, even singing a bit. For those only familiar with Olivier in drama, he proves himself to be an able comedian. A decent script helps it move along nicely, and it seldom lags. But the premise is a farce in fiction, let alone real life and it takes a bit of swallowing to accept some of the plot devices.

Norma Desmond's film

[lhhung_himself · 4/10 · 21 April 2013]

Gloria Swanson had formed a film company just to make this film. Unfortunately, this is precisely the type of film that her most famous character, Norma Desmond, likely wanted to make in Sunset Boulevard.

It is really a silent film with dialog replacing the text screens. The actors make grand extravagant gestures, turn their faces to and fro while fluttering their eyelids. The incessant music swells at appropriate moments to indicate high drama. The dialog seems like a nuisance to be summarily added and neglected - after all Swanson had done pretty well for all those years without dialog - why worry about that now.

The quite modern premise of the film, a semi-open marriage, and the conflict brought on by the juxtaposition of the end of the flapper era avant-garde attitudes with the conservative Victorian mores ensconced in the judicial attitude towards divorce should have made the film more interesting that it was.

However, the only real interest and tension is generated by incredible boat race where cocktails are drunk at every station to make the race more difficult! Prohibition was about to be repealed and the celebration of alcohol consumption in such stark contrast to today's attitudes is fascinating.

Tighter editing, better pacing and dialog might have made this worthwhile. As is, it is a curio from the early years of sound, and of interest to the historian and perhaps to the film buff as a primer on the world of Norma Desmond.

Nobody's perfect

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 20 April 2013]

In England, American designer Gloria Swanson (as Judith "Judy" Rogers) and London playboy Laurence Olivier (as Nicholas "Nick" Randall) are madly in love. To insure marriage won't ruin their bliss, they decide to wed with a unique "Perfect Understanding" contract. The pledge is, "Never to be husband and wife, but lover and mistress - and above everything else, to remain individual." After the honeymoon, Ms. Swanson decorates their London apartment while Mr. Olivier vacations in Cannes with friends Michael Farmer (Swanson's real-life husband) and Genevieve Tobin (as George and Kitty Drayton)...

The men show off chests in the new style of swimming trunks...

Before a boating race, Olivier drinks too much and beds ex-lover Nora Swinburne (as Stephanie). Consequently, Swanson must consider Olivier's request for forgiveness while being tempted to accept an invitation for extra-marital sex with John Halliday (as Ivan Ronnson). One of the biggest "silent" stars of the 1920s, Swanson made a successful transition to "talkies" - but audiences did not return to see her in roles like this. Accompanied by frequent dramatic flourishes of music, she makes little progress abandoning silent manners; ironically, "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) took full advantage of these skills.

**** Perfect Understanding (2/24/33) Cyril Gardner ~ Gloria Swanson, Laurence Olivier, Michael Farmer, Genevieve Tobin

Used to going their own way

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 17 April 2013]

American expatriate Gloria Swanson is living it up pretty good and meets up with society playboy Laurence Olivier and the two fall in love as it were and get married. But both are used to high living and going their own way. So a Perfect Understanding is reached whereby they do just that and they vow never to quarrel.

Well that's easier said than done. And Larry heads off to the continent and the Riviera as he always does partying hearty. Gloria prepares home and hearth. Larry however has mantrap Nora Swinburne chasing him and when Gloria hears about she rebounds and right there is good old John Halliday to catch her.

Gloria Swanson as it turned out had a great singing voice and at the closing credits gets to sing a song with the rather ungainly title I Love You So Much I Hate You. Good voice, mediocre song, but she probably had it tacked on to a mediocre film for those who remembered her singing Love Your Magic Spell Is Everywhere from The Trespasser.

As for Olivier, up to now I had only seen one of his films before As You Like It. I'm not as hard as he is on himself when he was widely quoted as saying that William Wyler taught him the art of acting on film and that everything he did before Wuthering Heights was garbage. This second one I saw though would validate what he said.

Quite frankly the lives of these society twits got about as much interest from me in the 21st century as it did when it was shown in Depression UK and USA. Word of mouth made the public stay away in droves. And the public is always right.

Laurence Olivier is gorgeous.

[xFuntoosh · 10/10 · 27 April 2013]

Yes, yes, I know that Sir Laurence thought that all his films before "Wuthering Heights" were garbage. But this is a forgotten gem. Sure, people may not like it, and I get why, because this film doesn't introduce anything new. It's got Judy (Gloria Swanson), an actress I really like, paired with Nick Randall (Laurence Olivier), in a film that involves at first, a good deal of fluff, and then it takes a turn for the dramatic. Honestly, I have to say, the last half hour of the film didn't impress me. Yes, I'm a sucker for fluff and light-hearted stuff, and the fact that Laurence Olivier was looking his best here, at age 26, didn't really predispose me not to like this film. But I have to say about the character of Nick, he was a complete blockhead in the last half hour. He admitted his mistake and wanted forgiveness, but when he thought that Judy did the same thing, gosh, he totally flew off the handle and absolutely frustrated both me and her. You did the same thing, Nick, so you may as well take responsibility. But the jealousy part plays out very realistically, so I don't mind too much. The ending was a bit rushed, though.

Still, watch this movie if you're either a Laurence Olivier fan who just wants to see him (and not mind characters being blockheads), or if you're a Gloria Swanson fan. Nothing new, but enjoyable all the same.

Dreadful Mess

[malcolmgsw · 4/10 · 28 August 2010]

By the time that Gloria Swanson made this film it was clear that her screen career was in terminal decline and that the only way of continuing to make films was to finance them herself.this film is truly awful and there is not one good thing to say about it.Swanson acts at times as if she is still making a silent film with too much overreacting.Olivier is at his mannered worst.Only a great director like Wyler could teach him how to act for the camera.The music is loud and intrusive in the worst traditions of mickey mousing.As for the script well that is laughable.It is totally implausible.The climax in the Divorce Courts is ridiculous.The idea that in the middle of a Court hearing one partner decides he loves the other too much and cant go through with it is more suited to an Aldwych farce.It is one of the few failings of this otherwise excellent site that fans of stars can see no wrong in their favourite and feel that they must give every film they appear in a 10.If you are a fan of Swanson you will probably like this ,if not well it is only worth watching for its curiosity value.

Perfectly Awful

[richardchatten · 2/10 · 22 August 2022]

A young, moustached Olivier looks extremely ill at ease in this good-looking but garrulous and boring marital drama set in the South of France but with hardly any of the cast actually leaving the studio. He later called it "the worst film ever made"; presumably that was before he made 'The Betsy'!

Dreadfully mannered and dull.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 5 November 2013]

"Perfect Understanding" is a simply dreadful film--very, very dated, dull and filled with folks you really cannot relate to or like. It also features the rather odd romantic pairing of Gloria Swanson and Laurence Oliver--a pairing that doesn't quite work.

The film begins with Swanson singing--something you just don't need to hear unless you are a masochist. Fortunately, Olivier's character didn't love her singing either, though otherwise they play rich folks who have nothing better to do than go to parties, travel the world and talk...a lot. And one of the things they love to talk about is their love for each other. However, Swanson's character is apprehensive to marry, as she's afraid that over time their love will fade. So, they agree to marry and stay married until they begin to argue (ooo, how romantic).

The biggest problem about this film is that it was the Depression and folks were out of work. So, such a mannered and dull film involving the rich and lazy seems strange--and hard to enjoy. The characters seemed rather one-dimensional and annoying. In particular, Swanson's acting didn't help, though Olivier did a nice job in spite of the film's many shortcomings. Dull and probably not worth your time.

Perfectly Boring

[Michael_Elliott · 26 June 2013]

Perfect Understanding (1933)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

With her star quality fading, Gloria Swanson went to England to produce this melodrama, which when released would just harm her career even more as it failed with both fans and critics. Judy (Swanson) and Nicholas (Laurence Olivier) agree to get married with the "perfect understanding" that they never argue or disagree. All goes as planned until Nicholas takes a trip to Cannes where he falls for another woman. PERFECT UNDERSTANDING is the perfect example of legends doing an awful film. There's really no doubt about it but this thing is just deadly dull from the word go and it never picks up any steam. It's easy to see why the movie was such a disaster when it was originally released but the most confusing thing is why Swanson decided to produce this herself and in England. I mean, this type of melodrama was flowing from every small and major studio in America so going to England really didn't do anything to improve the film. Even worse is that we have so many boring dialogue scenes that just drag everything out that the viewer will be wanting to stick sharp knives in their eyes. Things don't get any better once Olivier does the cheating as we get some pretty boring situations leading to a finale, which is just downright awful. It seems the film wants to return to Swanson's glory silent days because the picture really does look and feel like a silent at times but it's done in such a way that the entire thing just seems old-fashioned and it just doesn't work with the dialogue. Swanson is good in her role but sadly she's not given too much to do. Olivier is excellent in his part but one wishes the great performance was going towards a better cause. PERFECT UNDERSTANDING had pretty much been forgotten for over seven decades until it was brought back up to the surface but sadly, only die-hard fans of the stars should even bother with it.

High-Society Hullabaloo Again

[view_and_review · 3/10 · 22 August 2023]

I first saw Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Blvd" (1950) and loved her in the movie. She played an actress who was past her prime yet behaved as though she was in her heyday. Throughout the movie it was as though she was always on stage, which is how I imagine actors and actresses behave when they try to hold on to their glory days. Her movements, expressions, and speech were exaggerated like there was a camera focused on her at all times.

After watching "Perfect Understanding" I realize that's just the way Gloria Swanson acts. As good as she was in "Sunset Blvd" she was equally terrible in "Perfect Understanding." The speech, the expressions, and the behavior were exaggerated and made even more comical by the music. And she and Joan Crawford have mastered the frozen, wide-eyed, crazy look which looks so unnatural.

In "Perfect Understanding" Swanson plays Judy Rogers, a high society woman from America who was in love with Nicholas Randall (Laurence Olivier), a high society man from England. The two were crazy in love, but Judy wasn't keen on the idea of marriage, no matter how many times Nicholas proposed. Eventually, Judy gave in and agreed to marry Nicholas with a contract stating that they'd always have a "perfect understanding" and that they'd "never be husband and wife but lover and mistress. And above everything else, to remain individual."

To Judy, jealousy was an ugly trait only to be found in commoners or the insecure. She'd have the opportunity to put her beliefs to the test because orbiting around her and Nicholas was Stephanie (Nora Swindburne), a married woman who was unabashedly in love with Nicholas. She would ruin her own marriage as well as Nicholas's if given the chance.

"Perfect Understanding" followed a predictable pattern. Unfortunately, it was another high-society movie involving grand exclamations of love and affection as well as rampant infidelity. It's a tired theme that's simply redone with new actors and a slightly adjusted script. The moment I saw Stephanie ogling Nicholas I knew what we were in for. There was nothing novel about this movie nor was there anything worth watching unless you're a fan of Gloria Swanson or Laurence Olivier.

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