Absolutely Fantastic

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Because Of Him casts Deanna Durbin as the most winsome young ingénue seen on screen since Katharine Hepburn in Morning Glory. Durbin is determined to succeed on the stage and is willing to use some extralegal contrivances to get there. But as this film is light she's not as ruthless as Eve Harrington.What she does do is pretend to be an autograph seeker and seeks out famous stage actor Charles Laughton's autograph on a folded piece of paper which opened up is a letter of introduction to a famous producer. It costs her a job at the restaurant she works at as Charles Halton her boss fires her. But it does work and Laughton is intrigued by her even with her deception.Also intrigued is playwright Franchot Tone who has a role similar to that of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in Morning Glory. Therein lies the triangle, but I don't think anyone expected Laughton to get Durbin.In fact the final scene of the play within a movie is Laughton's best as he changes Tone's dialog and the play itself to get the two of them together.Durbin has three songs and why she wasn't after a musical career is beyond me. Still fans of Laughton, Durbin, and Tone will like this.

Deanna Durban (Miss Walker) tricks her way into starring in playwright Franchot Tone's (Paul Taylor) new play opposite famous actor Charles Laughton (John Sheridan). She has no acting experience, but while Laughton encourages her, Tone is keen to see her fail and removes his name from the performance's credits. This film is a comedy that has several amusing moments, eg, Laughton's treatment of his butler Donald Meek (Martin), and his scene with Durban when he teaches her how to fake a faint properly. Charles Laughton is the powerhouse of the film with an over-the-top performance that works. The film is only let down by Durban's terrible singing of "Danny Boy". She has 3 songs, which she delivers in that high-pitched, operatic, warbly voice - two of them are okay but "Danny Boy" - just shut up Durban! The song is already crap and your rendition of it is really painful to endure. The film loses momentum at this point.Anyway, the singing of "Danny Boy" provides an important stage in the plot as, after Durban has tortured us with this flop of a song, Laughton becomes sympathetic to her wishes and decides to help her. God knows why. The fact that she can sing is not an indication that she can act. So he behaves out of character and his sudden confidence in her makes no sense. The film is essentially a romance that doesn't really convince but it is entertaining viewing. Whilst the songs in this film are not needed, the film is lightweight fluff that doesn't make a lot of sense but it has some funny moments and the cast all perform well.

Charles Laughton plays John Sheridan, a legendary Broadway actor who is playing his final performance of "Cyrano De Bergerac". Desperate for a vacation, he eludes inquiries about who his next leading lady will be. But a waitress named Kim Walker (Deanna Durbin) already has her eye set on Sheridan, and fools him into getting his signature (which he thinks is an autograph) on a letter of introduction. Soon it is believed that middle-aged Sheridan and young Ms. Walker are an item, and when Sheridan finds out about the scheme, he pretends to get along with it, only so he can get out of it gracefully. But Kim's pal Nora (the always delightful Helen Broderick) has a trick up her sleeve to keep Kim's name in the papers linked to Sheridan. Soon, Kim is cast as his new leading lady, finding a disgruntled playwright, Paul Taylor (Franchot Tone), out to sabotage her.For one thing, the storyline seems totally forced. Today, Durbin's Kim Walker would be considered a celebrity stalker and social climber, but here, she's a media darling. Other than a pretty version of "Danny Boy", Durbin's few songs are rather forgettable, and she really doesn't seem like someone who might be the new Jessica Tandy of Broadway. The play within the movie also seems rather corny, and the forced romance between Durbin and Tone is false as well. As with "Nice Girl?", they seem totally wrong for each other, he a bit long in the tooth for her, and she too immature for someone of his sophistication. Donald Meek adds some funny moments as Laughton's valet, but for the most part, the supporting cast (not including Broderick) can't rise above the material. What really lowers my rating for this film is the really unbelievable ending that is out of place even in the golden age of Hollywood.

As a previous reviewer remarked regarding this fine film obviously has no knowledge of what a legend Deanna Durbin is with her singing voice she literally saved Universal studios from bankruptcy with her very first film at about the age of 14. With that first film Three Smart Girls she went on to have a very successful career till the age of about 27 when she retired and now lives happily in seclusion in France. Because of Him is the story of an ambitious waitress who dreams of being on the stage and with a little trickery on her side achieves her dream with the starring role of her first play much to the chagrin of the plays writer who thinks she is totally wrong for the part, but as with most of her films it comes right at the end.