Best movie of this year hands down!

Truly Dreadful Film

An action-packed slog

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

In the very first scene, we see Margaret Dumont teaching a "movement" class. now.. anyone who has EVER seen a Marx Brothers film knows Dumont as the foil for the various Marx boys. I kept waiting for her to start joking around. Many big hollywood names in here -- Paulette Goddard, Lana Turner (at 17 !) , Henry Stephenson, Gale Sondergaard, Erik Rhodes. The usual antics of students learning their trade in school... in this case, drama. The girls play tricks on each other, but sometimes they backfire. SO many little subplots going on, and each of these great actors all seem to be the star in their own story. It really is an ensemble group, similar to an episode of Seinfeld. It's quite good, but I think they should have concentrated more on just one of the storylines. "Louise" (Luise Rainer) is acting, and over-acting all the way through; her character is always making up stories for appearance, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Some similarities to "Stage Door", with k. hepburn, but this one has far less tragedy... Directed by Robert Sinclair. This was one of the first films he did. Many years later, Sinclair would be murdered by a prowler on his own property. Hopefully they will show this one more frequently on Turner Classics; has some great names from early hollwood in here. It's pretty good!

"Dramatic School" had a lot going for it. Luise Rainer, fresh from winning Hollywood's annual Academy Award for Best Actress for two years running (1936 and 1937) is here somewhat inappropriately cast as a ham actress. Worse still, the screenplay rewards the character's false histrionics with applause rather than ripe tomatoes. Bob Sinclair's direction also presents a problem. Admittedly, he takes the first quarter-hour at an admirably snappy pace, but once the stage is set and the script's rather routine plotting gains the upper hand, Sinclair obviously loses interest. At least the excellent photography by William Daniels always remains a constant. The movie is stunningly and most beautifully photographed from start to finish. Producer Mervyn LeRoy, fresh from his triumphs at Warner Brothers and now making his debut at M-G-M, has okayed some really lavish sets and costumes. Alas, all this doesn't add up to a good movie when a sizzling script and appropriate acting are lacking.

Luise Rainer wrapped up her Hollywood career with this minor B movie that also served as an early showcase for Lana Turner and Ann Rutherford.The Viennese Teardrop isn't bad but her habit of staring soulfully skyward comes across as a bit affected.Paulette Goddard co-stars but she was in a transitional phase. After having recently been elevated from the ranks by Chaplin and featured in Modern Times she was a bit ahead of the other girls career wise but this was still before her period as a top star although that was right around the corner. An interesting contrast can be made between the two other future stars featured. MGM was still experimenting with Lana and her look, her hair is still red not her signature blonde, her makeup is slightly different from scene to scene and her part is small although she is prominently billed. Ann Rutherford on the other hand who was at about the same point in her career already has her screen persona down. Of course she was always the girl next door so retained more of her natural attributes while by the time Lana reached the top there was little if anything girlish about her.The picture itself moves at a decent clip and is mildly entertaining but has several large reality gaps in its story line. It's filled with familiar faces though to distract you from the holes in the script with Genevieve Tobin and Marie Blake both adding nice touches in small roles.

DRAMATIC SCHOOL is just an ordinary film, without too much plot. The usual plot(poor girl wants to be an actress, struggles to make herself known and then finds success). What makes this early MGM film notable is seeing many famous stars-to-be having small parts. Notably Lana Turner, Ann Rutherford, Virginia Grey and Paulette Goddard in her first of two MGM films before going to Paramount and major stardom.The star of the film, Luise Rainier, seemed right for the role, but somewhat distant in her performance. There wasn't too much difference in her playing of the poor starving actress or the role of Joan of Arc as the great actress she becomes.Paulette Goddard, however, showed that lovable kitten she later became famous for. Playing the glamour go-getter, Goddard added that special kind of sophistication to her sharp-tongued role admirably.However, as much weight as it had with the star-studded cast, to me, it never really made it out of the B-picture status.