I Can't Believe You Haven't Seen Dinner At Eight

We've recently passed the 86th anniversary of October 29th 1929: The day the stock market crashed and the beginning of The Great Depression.  While the following decade was one of desperation and hardship, the film industry provided an escape for the realities of life, and continued to make quality films in this time of trouble.  This will begin a three-part series of revered films from the 1930s that changed the landscape of movies and provided an outlook on the political and social spectrum of the Great Depression. Beginning with the Barrymore classic Dinner At Eight!

The Great Depression is characterized by struggle, dejection, and desperation. The United States had the wind knocked out of it following the grandeur of the 1920s, and was now seeking a way to lift itself out of a hole dug by a decade of frivolous consumption and wasteful decadence. George Cukor masterfully weaves these characterizations into his 1933 film Dinner At Eight by following a group of well-off individuals whose finances and reputations take a hit when the Depression rolls around, and their consistent denial of changing times provide a new capacity of tribulations people faced during this era.

Lionel Barrymore as 'Oliver Jordan'

Three characters in particular capture theme of denial: Oliver Jordan, played by Lionel Barrymore, Carlotta Vance, played by Marie Dressler, and Larry Renault, played by John Barrymore. While all the movie’s characters provided some degree of ineptitude, these three were the strongest representations of the Depression’s effects on the upper class.

Oliver Jordan is a prominent New York shipping magnate, a man who has clearly done well for himself and provided his family with a lavish lifestyle. However, although he comes across as one of the gentler, sweeter characters in the film, he suffers from a classic flaw of many heroes: hubris. Oliver’s company is seeing hard times, and we also learn that he has a condition that when accelerated by stress could kill him. Oliver’s desperation to appear as having everything in control and wanting to offer his wife everything she could ever want or need nearly ends his life. In many ways Oliver’s flaw is a noble one, he truly wants what is best for his family, but he still fails to recognize that America has entered a time of turmoil, and his family would not go unaffected.

Carlotta Vance is such an important character in this film. First of all, she beautifully sums up the style of acting that was popular in the 1930s. She wears all of her emotions on her sleeve, often overreacting to moments in a very theatrical, grand style. She provides a hilarious point of view to the many scenarios flying around this movie, and gives a personality that you won’t necessarily like, but will certainly make you laugh. More importantly, her character speaks to the financial difficulties many faced during the Depression and the rejection to alter her lifestyle.

Marie Dressler as 'Carlotta Vance'

Carlotta is completely broke; she has nothing lined up in her field and is essentially finished as an actress. And yet, she still wears a fine fur coat, has all kinds of jewelry, and is more willing to part with her stock in Oliver’s company (and potentially damage her friendship with him) that give up her material items. On top of all that, she consistently expects to be treated like royalty as she probably was for most of her life. This is once again a failure to accept the changes that came with the turbulence of the Depression.

Larry Renault is the most intriguing character in this movie, and John Barrymore is the greatest reason for that. Renault is broken, bitter, and living in a world constructed by his own fantasies in which he is still relevant. Renault’s distress speaks to the feelings and fears that all of us face: Do I really matter in this world? And if I don’t, what do I do now?

John Barrymore as 'Lawrence Renault'

John Barrymore dealt with a drinking problem for most of his life (in fact, it attributed to his demise at the age of 60), and he brings that addictive suffering to his performance as Renault. This is the ultimate form of denial. Larry would rather die with the slightest shred of pride than face the truth that has just been made very clear to him by his manager. As a successful actor in silent films, and now a washed up has-been due to the age of the Talkies, Renault refuses to adapt, refuses to learn, and even refuses to believe the reality of his financial needs.

Dinner At Eight provides an interesting perspective on the nature of the Great Depression, because rarely do we think about the entertainment business at this time. We’re given insight to the business struggles of the time through Mr. Jordan, but also the changes those in show business faced through Carlotta and Renault, and how two people who were no longer relevant had very few options at the time. That being said, the film also captures the catastrophes that can occur when we fail to study the zeitgeist of our generation, and adapt and innovate in the ways that the rest of humanity will.