Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 30-July-06
Spoiler Rating: Medium

Made for Each Other (1939)

The title, the opening, and Carole Lombard — these suggested that "Made for Each Other" would be a lighthearted romance which proclaimed its vintage status with the spunk of a bygone age. But while the movie does reflect its historical context, it's actually more drippy than zippy. Directed by John Cromwell, this is a partly sweet, partly sad, always sentimental drama that can move you if you're in the right mood.

"Made for Each Other" is the story of Jane and John Mason (Lombard and James Stewart), a New York couple who, as the movie opens, has just gotten married after a whirlwind romance. They're young, they're attractive, and they're in love, so they ought to have it made; but the vicissitudes of life bear down on them from the start. In the amusing early scenes, John fails to get nuptial blessings from his know-it-all mother (Lucile Watson) and crusty old boss (Charles Coburn), the latter of whom also throws up obstacles to a honeymoon. Still, the newlyweds forge ahead with their happily-ever-after and a year later welcome a son, along with all the financial burden he entails. Then follows a string of increasingly somber incidents which illustrate how the weight of the world can threaten even the purest and most instinctual of loves. (The couple's sweet nothings become, "The next time you go out and get tanked, if you don't take me with you I'll get a divorce!") Eventually John and Jane's life together reaches a crisis one New Year's Eve when the plot rambles into the realm of the maudlin. But the lesson they learn from it is hard to resist.

Such is the key to Depression-era anodynes like this: everyone wants to believe that love fosters hope and tragedy paves the way to new beginnings. From first to last, "Made for Each Other" emphasizes that its heroes are everyday Joes (and Janes) who respond to tough situations as best they can. They don't get everything right by a long shot, but if they cling to each other they can weather any storm. The enduring quality of this theme, along with Stewart's ability to sell any state or emotion, keeps the picture from caving in. (In addition, all of the Masons' ordeals could happen today in sounder economic times and a supposedly advanced social climate.) If you need a shot of triumph over adversity, this DVD might just be made for you.

Copyright © 2006 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.