Desire

Summary

A stark, unflinching examination of the crumbling edifices of American aristocracy, Desire (1923) pivots on the seismic rupture of a high-society union. The narrative unspools as Madalyn Harlan and Bob Elkins, scions of wealth, abandon their matrimonial obligations on the very eve of their nuptials. Madalyn, fueled by a reckless, perhaps self-destructive impulse, plunges into a cross-class liaison with her chauffeur, Jerry, while Bob seeks a more grounded, albeit conventional, sanctuary in the arms of the unpretentious Ruth Cassell. This dual trajectory serves as a crucible for Symonds' exploration of social mobility and its discontents. While Bob’s union with Ruth finds a tenuous equilibrium through careful consideration, Madalyn’s descent is precipitous. Her marriage to Jerry is not merely a romantic failure but a systemic collapse; disowned by her pedigree and suffocated by the stark, unrefined realities of Jerry’s lower-class origins, the union dissolves into a nihilistic double suicide. The film functions as a grim memento mori for the Jazz Age, suggesting that the barriers of caste are not merely social constructs but psychological prisons from which there is no escape.

Synopsis

Society children Madalyn Harlan and Bob Elkins separate the day they are to be married. Madalyn marries her chauffeur, Jerry, while Bob falls in love with unsophisticated Ruth Cassell and, after careful consideration, marries her. Madalyn's marriage is unhappy, ending in a double suicide after Madalyn's parents disown her and Jerry's family proves to be lower class.