Ex-Lady (1933)

A commercial illustrator (Bette Davis) and an advertising writer (Gene Raymond) live together without benefit of marriage, an institution they don't believe in. Eventually, they cave in to convention and get married but it takes its toll on their relationship. So they decide to remain married but live apart thus keeping their relationship "fresh". Can it work? Directed by Robert Florey (MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE). This is a remake of ILLICIT, a Barbara Stanwyck film that had come out only two years earlier. Yet another Warner Brothers programmer showing they didn't know what they had in Bette Davis. She's glammed to the max but it's a dreary little affair. This pre code movie titillates us with its tale of unconventional lovers scorning traditional marriage but by the end of the film, it sends them into a conventional "happily ever after" marriage thus ensuring the institution of marriage is the decent way to go. Davis is always interesting to watch but she's like Sisyphus rolling that rock up a hill, trying is useless. With Frank McHugh and Claire Dodd.