Paris Bound

Ann Harding's first film, better in every respect than her second, "Her Private Affair". It certainly is pre-code, with the bride and groom deciding on their wedding day that each is free to see other people. So it's totally inexplicable that such a liberated woman first gets all weepy when her husband leaves on business trips, then goes completely to pieces when she learns of an affair of his while he's away. Ilka Chase is the most interesting character on the screen--she's a hoot to watch.

Ann Harding movie debut and also one of Fredric March's earliest talkie roles. It's a product of the quirky year of 1929. They stumble along saying their lines trying their best to sound natural over the mic. But nobody knew what normal was at the time so it's charming to watch them almost improvise how to communicate their parts. But that's all. Paris Bound is among the films that instantly feels dated and doesn't have much to offer watch Ann Harding be a young unpolished Ann Harding.