Summary
Society Snobs is a razor-sharp pre-Code satire that dissects the fragile veneer of aristocratic pretension through the audacious transformation of Lorenzo Carilo, a blue-collar striver who reinvents himself as a French Duke to infiltrate the gilded world of Vivian Forrester. Directed with a sly wit by Conway Tearle (who also stars), the film weaponizes farce to expose the absurdity of class hierarchies, where wealth is as flammable as a candle in a gale. Vivian, a daughter of nouveaux riches, becomes both the prize and the puppet in this masquerade, her naivety mirroring the era’s blind deference to titles. The narrative’s tightrope walk between romance and farce avoids cliché through its meticulous attention to period-specific social codes, from the rigid formality of dinner parties to the grotesque pageantry of charity galas. The film’s genius lies in its refusal to lionize either protagonist; Lorenzo’s deception is as self-serving as Vivian’s family’s crass ostentation, creating a moral quagmire that feels shockingly modern.
Synopsis
Lorenzo Carilo (Conway Tearle) selects more-or-less menial jobs at which to make a living, other more "select" jobs not paying enough, and then he meets and falls in love with Vivian Forrester (Martha Mansfield) the daughter of a new-rich family. What's a poor boy to do? He might pose as a French Duke.
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