THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES
starring Jean Hersholt, Phyllis Haver, Belle Bennett and Sally
O'Neil
PHOTOPLAY
September, 1928
A light-heavyweight drama, not as belligerent as the title implies, but human, sophisticated and worth while. Jean Hersholt as a business mogul greatly distresses a happy family by becoming entangled with a gold-digging blonde, Phyllis Haver. Don Alvarado is good as the poewr behind the blonde, and Belle Bennett adds suspense as the distraught wife. Worth your while.
THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES
starring Jean Hersholt, Phyllis Haver, Belle Bennett and Sally
O'Neil
MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE
October, 1928
Sally O'Neil hs the difficult job of keeping her family together in this latest Griffith opus. She has a tough time, because her daddy has let his susceptible eye rove in the direction of Phyllis Haver, and what can Belle Bennett and the children mean to a man who has known Phyllis? Belle, who is easily stunned, sits in a daze through most of the picture. But Sally, the dynamic member of the family, goes out to bring her dad back at the point of a gun if necessary. This is intended to be a poignant tale of filial devotion, but somehow it fails to touch the heart strings. Sally is splendid. But Jean Hersholt and Belle Bennett, while giving good individual performances, seem to be people from different spheres of life. They are never convincing as husband and wife. Nevertheless, there is plenty to amuse and interest you. Especially Sally.
THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES
starring Jean Hersholt, Phyllis Haver, Belle Bennett and Sally
O'Neil
MOTION PICTURE CLASSIC
December, 1928
D.W. Griffith has made an up-to-date version of one of his early triumphs, "The Battle of the Sexes," and manages to invest it with moments of his genius, though the picture is far from being the master of the close-up at his best. Some of you may remark - "Where have I seen this story before?" Well, tou can answer yourselves in the same breath - "Why, it's like 'Variety'."
The same gold-digging vamp is in this yarn which concerns a much-settled married man kicking over the traces and going berserk. His peregrinations on the primrose path cause no end of worry and anxiety to his wife and children - so much so, that the little woman even makes a move to end it all, while the daughter goes to the vamp with tearful entreaties backed up by a revolver.
It seems old fashioned, does this plot, probably because the original served as a model for triangles gone whoopee. At that, it contains some good spots - and is sure to appeal with its good production values. Phyllis Haver has the vamp role - the same type of role which she portrayed in "The Way of All Flesh," though the characterization isn't half so genuine.
The lady of the afternoon in the Jannings number was more real. The lady in this instance goes to extremes and loses the human touch. Belle Bennett makes a sorrowful figure of the wife and mother - and the children are in character as played by William Bakewell and Sally O'Neil. Jean Hersholt is the battler of the sexes and true to form, he comes through with another sterling performance, though he is inclined to exaggerate the role. This is undoubtedly the result of too much direction. The picture has its appeal. Who can resist the title or the Haver person or the Bennett-Hersholt names in the cast?
THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES
starring Jean Hersholt, Phyllis Haver, Belle Bennett and Sally
O'Neil
THE FILM SPECTATOR
August 18, 1928
D.W. has given us what I think is the best picture he ever made. "The Battle of the Sexes" lacks the epic sweep of "The Birth of a Nation," and is without the romantic atmosphere that assisted in the success of some of his other pictures. It is an ordinary story about ordinary people, but so superbly has Griffith directed it that it is a notable example of screen art. Its appeal will be general. Women, particularly, will find it engrossing. It is made a great picture by the quality of its performances, yet there is not a broadly sketched character in it. Griffith's facility for handling numerous people and for grouping a few in intimate shots is much in evidence. He introduces no arresting light effects, contenting himself solely with telling his story directly and briskly, and without any frills. D.W. has shed all but one of the old fashioned ideas that he has clung to throughout the years. In "the Battle of the Sexes," there are no stilted titles that tell what is going to happen, and in only one instance did I see a close shot that did not match its medium shot, a weakness that has been a feature of all Griffith pictures. The one habit that remains is that of defying convention by fading out in the middle of a sequence instead of cutting. It is odd to see a return to a scene that has faded out, but I hope that D.W. sticks to it. He will, if he has a sense of humor, and he must do something eccentric to show that he is no ordinary director. He has some exquisite touches in this picture. It deals with a family, Belle Bennett being the mother, Jean Hersholt the father, Sally O'Neil the daughter, and Billy Bakewell the son. I think D.W. will agree with me that with such talented artists in one group, almost any director should give us some fine scenes, but I think there are few who could make them as compelling as Griffith manages to. In the opening sequence Hersholt gives Miss Bennett a jeweled bracelet as a birthday present, and it is done with such tenderness and feeling that it brought a tear to my eye, for I am an emotional old ass. Another beautiful touch is in a scene showing Belle reading a letter from Jean in which he tells her that he is leaving her. The strength of the scene lies in the fact that while she is reading the letter she is standing directly below a photograph of her and Jean in their wedding clothes. When she finishes reading, she looks up at the photograph, and anyone who would not be moved by the scene has no place in a picture audience. Miss Bennett gives a superb performance, and Hersholt's is one of the best of his career. For the first time we see the real Jean on the screen. He plays the part straight, and it was a brilliant bit of casting to put such a talented character actor in such a role. Sally O'Neil is an actress. I said that once before, and I am even surer of it now. She does magnificent work throughout. Billy Bakewell is the same ingenuous boy as usual, a capital trouper with a rare screen personality that should be on the screen much oftener. Phyllis Haver is in the picture. In a field with less talented competitors, she would be the picture. As the unscrupulous gold-digger she is simply great, again demonstrating that she is one of the most capable girls on the screen. Don Alvarado has a mean sort of part which does not allow him much latitude, but the acting excellence of the production suffers no relapse when it is his turn to sustain it. In a few places Griffith uses closeups where I think medium shots embracing all the characters in the main scene would have been more effective, but the fault is not aggravated sufficiently to prompt me to become catty about it. The picture is a splendid one, human and entertaining, and that is all that matters. Of interest to Hollywood, but of none to audiences, is the fact that Griffith shot it nine days under schedule and for quite a few thousand dollars under budget. The United Artists production department, under that wise youth, John W. Considine Jr., is working efficiently and is turning out some of the best pictures that we are getting.
For more information, see "The Battle of the Sexes" as our "Feature of the Month"