Why you should watch a baby-faced Laurence Olivier in Friends and Lovers (1931)

Is this movie worth your time today? Yes, but mostly if you are a fan of seeing legends before they were actually legends.

It is for people who like messy 1930s dramas and don't mind a plot that feels like it was written on a napkin during lunch.

If you want a fast-paced thriller or something with deep logic, you will probably hate this one. It’s slow and very, very theatrical.

The first thing that hits you is Adolphe Menjou’s mustache. It’s so perfectly groomed it almost feels like a character on its own.

He plays Captain Geoff Roberts, who is having an affair with Alva. The problem is her husband, Victor Sangrito, played by Erich von Stroheim.

Von Stroheim is doing that thing where he looks like he’s smelling something slightly rotten in every scene. He uses his wife to lure men in and then blackmails them to save their careers. Classic villain move.

There is a scene where the blackmail happens and the tension is just... weird. It’s not scary, it’s just awkward, like watching a bad dinner party.

Geoff pays the money and runs away to India. The movie just jumps there like it’s no big deal. ✈️

Suddenly, we get a very young, baby-faced Laurence Olivier as Ned Nichols. He looks like he hasn’t even started shaving yet.

He and Geoff become "bosom companions," which is 1931 speak for being absolute best friends who tell each other everything. Except, of course, they don’t realize they are both in love with Alva.

The scenes in India feel like they were filmed in a very small sandbox with three potted plants. It doesn't look like India at all, but that’s part of the charm of these old flicks.

When they finally talk about the woman they love, they almost fight. It’s one of those "how dare you!" moments that feels a bit like The Love Piker but with more military uniforms.

Then they decide she’s just a "mendacious woman" and their friendship is more important. Bros before... well, you know.

But the movie can't just end there. They get sent back home because they are "invalided," which I think just means they got sick or tired of the sand.

They meet Alva again, and the whole thing gets complicated. Is she actually a bad person, or was she just a victim of her creepy husband? The movie isn't quite sure how it feels about her either.

There is this one shot of Alva looking out a window that lingers for way too long. It’s like the cameraman forgot to stop filming and she just had to keep looking sad.

I found myself wondering about the husband’s house. It has so many weird decorations. It reminded me of the sets in The Sorrowful Song of the Sea, just very cluttered and dark.

The dialogue is pretty clunky. People say things like "my heart is a desert" without even blinking.

Actually, there’s a lot of blinking. Early sound movies had this thing where actors didn't know how to act with their voices yet, so they did a lot of big eye movements.

Lili Damita is good as Alva, though. She has to play this impossible role of being both a trap and a sweetheart. She handles it better than the script deserves.

One thing that bothered me was how easily they forgave each other. One minute they are ready to kill, the next they are sharing a drink. 🥃

The pacing is a bit of a mess. The middle part in India drags on, and then the ending happens so fast you might miss it if you sneeze.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even a great movie. But it’s a fascinating look at how movies used to handle romance and betrayal before the Hays Code got really strict.

You can see glimpses of the actor Olivier would become, even if he’s a bit stiff here. He has this intensity in his eyes even when he’s just standing around.

If you like seeing how 1930s Hollywood imagined the British Army, this is a goldmine of weird hats and stiff upper lips. It’s almost as stylized as something like Marionetki roka but with less puppets and more gin.

The ending feels a bit unearned. It’s like the writers realized they only had five minutes left and had to fix everything. "Oh, she’s actually good? Okay, cool, let’s go home."

Still, I don't regret watching it. It’s got a specific kind of 1931 energy that you just don't find anymore. It’s imperfect, it’s a bit silly, and Von Stroheim is always worth the price of admission just to see him be a jerk.

Random Notes:

• The sound quality is a bit fuzzy, like everyone is talking through a woolen blanket.
• Why are the uniforms so tight? They look like they can't breathe.
• The scene where they realize they love the same woman is accidentally hilarious.
• Erich von Stroheim’s character is named Sangrito, which sounds like a drink you’d order at a beach bar.

It’s an okay way to spend an hour. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. It’s just a weird little relic from a time when movies were still trying to figure out how to talk.