Man's Castle (1933)
Man’s Castle might be the worst romance I’ve ever seen, and that’s quite an accomplishment. Set in the current Great Depression, Loretta Young is poor and starving, and Spencer Tracy is a loafing drifter. He boasts that he doesn’t believe in steady work and tells her if she has any brains she’ll turn to prostitution to make a living. During their first encounter, he pretends to be rich, sneaks her into a swanky club and feeds her an expensive dinner, then causes a scene and gets them both thrown out because he has no money to pay the bill. Then, they go skinny dipping in the river and in the next scene, they’re living together.
Spence is so emotionally abusive, it’s sickening. “Who wants to grab hold of a hunk of bones? You’ll never look like a woman,” he says, after cheating on her with a nightclub floozy. He threatens to beat her, pour hot soup down her back if it’s burnt, asks, “Who let you out?” when he sees she’s left the house, uses “Stupid” as a nickname, and repeatedly reminds her he’ll leave anytime he feels like he’s getting tied down. Loretta’s response is to desperately cling and beg him not to leave her, to threaten to sacrifice everything so he stays, and to continue to cook and clean for him and apologize for the wrongs she hasn’t done. I’d like to say this is one giant cautionary tale to show women in the audience what they shouldn’t put up with, but this is actually supposed to be a romance. They’re supposed to be a couple who see each other through thick and thin. The only good thing about this movie is the supporting cast. Marjorie Rambeau is another homeless neighbor, perpetually drunk, complaining, and taking abuse from her husband. Walter Connolly is a reverend-turned-night watchman, and you can clearly see a man beaten down by life barely hanging on.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Spencer Tracy movies here!
Spence is so emotionally abusive, it’s sickening. “Who wants to grab hold of a hunk of bones? You’ll never look like a woman,” he says, after cheating on her with a nightclub floozy. He threatens to beat her, pour hot soup down her back if it’s burnt, asks, “Who let you out?” when he sees she’s left the house, uses “Stupid” as a nickname, and repeatedly reminds her he’ll leave anytime he feels like he’s getting tied down. Loretta’s response is to desperately cling and beg him not to leave her, to threaten to sacrifice everything so he stays, and to continue to cook and clean for him and apologize for the wrongs she hasn’t done. I’d like to say this is one giant cautionary tale to show women in the audience what they shouldn’t put up with, but this is actually supposed to be a romance. They’re supposed to be a couple who see each other through thick and thin. The only good thing about this movie is the supporting cast. Marjorie Rambeau is another homeless neighbor, perpetually drunk, complaining, and taking abuse from her husband. Walter Connolly is a reverend-turned-night watchman, and you can clearly see a man beaten down by life barely hanging on.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Spencer Tracy movies here!