Born to Love (1931) Review: A pre-code tearjerker that actually hits hard

Should you actually sit through this?

If you like old movies where people wear incredible hats and stare longingly into the distance while the world falls apart, then yes, give this a watch. It is perfect for anyone who loves a good 'weeper' or is interested in how movies handled 'taboo' topics before the censors got really strict.

You will probably hate it if you can't stand slow pacing or if the scratchy audio of 1931 talkies gives you a headache. Also, if you want a happy, tidy ending, you should probably look elsewhere.

Constance Bennett has this face that looks like she is permanently about to tell you a very juicy secret. She plays Doris, a nurse who meets a pilot named Barry in London during the war.

Barry is played by Joel McCrea, who is so young here he barely looks like himself. He is very handsome but he sort of stands there like a very tall piece of furniture in a couple of scenes.

The romance happens fast. One minute they are sharing a drink, the next they are deeply in love, and then he is off to the front lines.

I noticed that the war scenes aren't really the point here. They use some stock footage that looks way grainier than the rest of the film, which is always a bit jarring.

Then Barry is reported dead. It is a classic setup, but Constance Bennett makes the grief feel real instead of just theatrical.

She finds out she is pregnant. In 1931, this was a big deal for a movie to show so directly.

"I wanted him to have a name," she says at one point, and you can really feel the desperation in her voice.

She meets this guy Sir John, played by Paul Cavanagh. He is nice enough, I guess, but he is mostly just rich and available.

She marries him for the sake of the baby. It is a sacrifice move that feels very 'of the era.'

Then, of course, Barry comes back. He wasn't dead, just a prisoner of war or something—the movie doesn't spend too much time on the logistics of his survival.

The moment they see each other again is the best part of the movie. There is this long silence that actually feels heavy, not just like they forgot their lines.

The Mid-Movie Slump

The middle part of the film drags a bit. There are a lot of scenes of people sitting in very fancy rooms talking about their feelings without actually saying what they mean.

It reminded me a little bit of the pacing in Salomy Jane, where the drama feels like it is moving through molasses. But the stakes here feel higher because there is a kid involved.

The kid is played by a toddler who clearly has no idea he is in a movie. He just looks confused whenever Constance Bennett tries to hug him.

There is a weird scene where they are at a party and the background noise is so loud you can barely hear the main characters. Early sound technology was such a mess sometimes.

I liked the costumes though. Even when Doris is miserable, her clothes are immaculate.

Small Things I Noticed

• The way the light hits Constance Bennett's eyelashes in the close-ups is almost hypnotic.
• There is a butler who appears for like five seconds and looks like he is having the worst day of his life.
• The hospital sets look incredibly cold and drafty.
• Joel McCrea has a very strange way of holding his cigarette.

The movie gets much darker than I expected. The third act is basically just one blow after another to Doris's happiness.

It is not fun to watch, but it is effective. You really start to feel for her, even if her choices seem a bit dramatic by modern standards.

If you have seen What Happened to Jones, you know how different these early talkies feel compared to the silent era stuff. The actors are still figuring out how to use their voices without shouting at the microphone.

There is also a short film called Ice Cold Cocos that has nothing to do with this, but I watched it the same night and the tonal shift nearly gave me whiplash.

The ending of Born to Love is... well, it is abrupt. It just sort of stops after a major emotional beat.

I sat there for a minute wondering if I had missed a scene. But no, that is just how they did it back then.

It doesn't give you the closure you want. It leaves you feeling a bit hollow, which I think was actually the point.

Is it a masterpiece? Probably not. The script is a bit messy in the midle and some of the side characters are totally forgettable.

But Constance Bennett is a star for a reason. She carries the whole thing on her shoulders and makes you care about a plot that could have been very silly.

It is a solid 7/10 if you are in the mood for a tragic romance. Just bring some tissues and maybe a snack for the slow parts.