Cheap Sadie Mckee (Video) (Clarence Brown) Price

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Customer Reviews of Sadie Mckee

Art Deco Opulence and Crawford at Peak of Beauty
One thing stands out first and foremost for me in "Sadie McKee": Joan Crawford's face. Someone once remarked that Joan Crawford's face metamorphosed over time from sublime to Kabuki, and here it is at the apex of breathtaking. Crawford had a face meant for the cameras and to appreciate this, it's important to see her at her peak (in films like "Sadie") when the camera rapturously captured that flawless, delicately sculptured bone structure, the fine nose and the wide eyes that were soulful, expressive and beautiful. No mere glamorous clothes hanger, contrary to rumors, she could really act (when given the chance) and here a whole range of emotions crosses her features and shows in her eyes in various close-ups. She is like an Art Deco goddess, the stuff of dreams. This is a Hollywood glamour that has truly disappeared. You no longer find the beauty and glamour and raw vitality that a star like Crawford exuded because these same dreams are no longer being manufactured by the studio as they were certainly in the 1930's. Crawford was very symbolic of the working girl who made good and achieved the brass ring. So it is the jaw-dropping glamour and beauty of Crawford that stands out for me in this film. The Adrian designs. The Deco nightclub. That face and sleek body like an Erte design. <
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>The plot is rather annoying in that it requires Crawford to be virtuous and prove her virtue. Why are men not required to redeem themselves this way? As Sadie McKee, she is a maid with amazing bone structure, working in the household of the wealthy Alderson family. Real life husband Franchot Tone plays the family's son Mike who carries the torch for Sadie and makes himself a pest because she has attached herself to a ukulele-strumming scoundrel Tommy (Gene Raymond). When Mike insults Tommy, he alienates Sadie and she runs off to begin a new life with Tommy. Twists in the plot -- Tommy leaves Crawford for a blowsy, Mae-West-type singer, Dolly (Esther Ralston) -- lead to Crawford hooking up ultimately with a pudgy alcoholic millionaire, Brennan (character actor Edward Arnold). Accusing her of being a gold digger, Mike badgers Sadie. But Sadie who may have moved into the millionaire marriage for spite rather than love does ultimately become the noble heroine, saving Brennan's life from drink and settling the romantic dilemmas. The film culminates in a fabulous nightclub scene (my favorite) - oh, that Deco age; nothing compares. If I had to choose between the three men for Crawford, I'd choose Clark Gable. But guess what? He's not in the movie. Oh, well. <
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>A disturbing moment for me is when Brennan pulls Sadie into his arms at one point and kisses her, the shock registering on her face. I actually had the chills, the moment evoking every poor Hollywood starlet who had to sleep with an unappetizing big wig to get a break, maybe even Joan herself. It still angers and stuns me that men with money and power think they can get any young beauty they so desire (and they're usually right), whereas women (who especially at the time of this film had few economic options) get flack for anything less than love. But then this is my sensitivity; the scene won't so impact most viewers. <
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>Definitely worth it for the sheer glamour and Joan's stunning beauty (pure movie star Deco heaven!). Contains the pleasing song "All I Do is Dream of You." <
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This is why she was a star!
This formulaic tale of a shopgirl who moves up is classic Crawford... she looks spectacular and rises above her material to compell and delight the whole way. She is so appealing it is evident why she was such a popular star...more beautiful than most of today's crop of film femmes and talented, too!

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You Go Girl!
Okay, so this is a hokey little story from Hollywood's golden age that would rate no more than a movie-of-the-week if it were tried today. That said, it's also a classic example of the studio star system at its most efficient. This was a "Joan Crawford" movie in the best sense, tailored to her particular talents and appealing to her audience's sensibilities. Crawford was an erratic but nevertheless underrated actress who admittedly gave some amateurish performances in her long career. Still, she improved from a limited performer to a rather accomplished one through years of determination and a professional work ethic. "Sadie McKee" is a prime example of that process in motion. What could have been a tawdry and unbelievable tale is made vivid and involving through Crawford's sincerity in the part. She pulls off both her devotion to the vapid Gene Raymond (you know he's not good enough for her right from the start) and her consternation (meaning her attraction ) to the suave Franchot Tone, who is in fine form himself here. Most memorably, however, is how Crawford handles the tricky premise in her marriage-for-money with Edward Arnold. This could have made her character despicable, but Crawford brings out the character's humanity in rather touching manner. This gives her an opportunity to display her most likeable quality as an actress, her loyalty, and you want to root for her, not reject her, more than ever. It's just right for "Sadie" and saves the movie from mawkishness. Yes, this is a "Crawford" film, but if the uninitiated want to know just what a "Crawford" film really was at MGM, start here. You'll get the point, and maybe Joan Crawford will be resurrected from the demon of THAT BOOK to the classic Hollywood ACTRESS she truly was. She earned the right.