La Bella Libertina v.o.s. DVD 136 The Gorgeous Hussy

Great movie. Watch it and learn some history. Despite some poetic license, highly relevant to today’s crap. Highly recommended.

This is a FABULOUS MOVIE!!! If you have ever wondered how things went down AFTER John Adams...this is a great story!!! Enjoy!!!

This film was recently featured on This American Life. The theme of that show was surrogates. The story of Peggy O'Neal Eaton fit into that theme because Peggy was in a way a surrogate to Andrew Jackson. Because the film is clearly labeled as a fictional interpretation of historical events, no conclusions should be drawn about the real Peggy's personal relationship with the President. The Peggy of this movie does act as the de facto White House hostess after Rachel Jackson's death. She calls the President Uncle Andy, a touch not necessarily supported by history.Other reviewers here have gone into great detail about the plot. Having come to this film based on the piece in TAL, I expected to see more of the gossipy old biddies who made Peg's life so miserable. Peg only has one line about calling on women whom she knew were at home, and not being received by them. That would have been the unkindest cut. The bullying of Rachel Jackson was much more brazen and more graphically depicted in the film.Joan Crawford is radiant in this role. I do agree with other reviewers that it was maybe not in her wheelhouse, but she is mesmerizing to watch. I do think she played the spunky youthful magnetic Peg more convincingly than the mature tortured Peg. She never seems to suffer much, in spite of the bad things that happen to her. Maybe Crawford's interpretation was meant to show that she could rise above anything, and that's what made her such a compelling figure.Beulah Bondi steals the show as Rachel. Her performance alone is reason to dedicate the 100+ minutes to watching the movie. Personally, I can't watch Lionel Barrymore's Andrew Jackson (or Lionel Barrymore in anything else, really) without thinking of Henry Potter in It's a Wonderful Life - his voice is too distinctive.The costumes are gorgeous. I can't help wondering what they looked like in color. Not that I would ever want this movie to be colorized.It's not a perfect movie. The story plods a bit. The script is a weak link - the final line of the movie is cringeworthy. However, this is a visually attractive depiction of a fascinating point in history, with some very fine performances. Recommended.

Fun romantic comedy with Joan Crawford. Typical of her easy going comedy films of the 30s. A very versatile actress who can sing, dance, play comedy, and be easy to identify with. Compare this with later dramatic and bitchy roles. Theatrical trailer but no other features. Thanks to Warner for the release of this gorgeous film!

"The Gorgeous Hussy" starts out with detailed opening credits with pictures of the stars as well as their characters' names displayed. This was common for big-budget MGM pictures such as this one. So it's no coincidence that "The Gorgeous Hussy" was one of Joan's biggest MGM productions of her entire 18 year career with the studio. It's an epic history-driven picture, that although is not factually accurate, does borrow heavily on the past.First of all I have to say that Joan looks amazing in this picture. We finally get to see her with long hair. And I love those petticoats and long dresses that she wore because Joan wore them very well. Her classical and timeless beauty was a perfect compliment to these period ensembles.Besides Joan's performance as Peggy, I especially enjoyed the performance of Robert Taylor (as Bow.) He was one good-looking man and so charming and gallant. The movie also includes a large supporting cast with some of the biggest stars of their time, including: Mr. Lionel Barrymore, Melvyn Douglas and the one and only Jimmy Stewart.There are also some funny and comical scenes throughout the picture that I enjoyed as well. I strongly suspect that Joan was able to borrow heavily on her talents as a silent actress in this film by using her body language to convey a million different emotions."The Gorgeous Hussy" is somewhat flat and dry in some scenes. The political dialog and the scenes in the senate come to mind. The movie is over 100 minutes long which for its time was considred very long, so that may have something to do with the fact that it did drag on slightly.Nevertheless, this is an interesting movie that any film fan of the Golden Era should watch.

I saw part of this on TCM and was sorry I missed part of it. Can't wait to watch the whole thing.

This was worth the money for sure. The picture and sound quality were great. There wasn't anything we didn't like about it.

Outstanding!

Recommended

Not seen this DVD loved it very pleased.