Hesitating Love: A charming, dusty mess

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, you probably know if you’re into this before you even hit play. If you like 1930s fluff, physical comedy that borders on the frantic, and actors who look like they’re having a bit too much fun, you’ll dig it. If you need a tight script or anything resembling logic, you’re gonna hate it. It’s not Il est charmant, but it has that same weird, loose energy.

The whole thing feels like a collection of sketches glued together with spit and ambition. The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it stops dead for a joke that lands, and other times it runs at a sprint while the story forgets to keep up.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Hesitating Love (1932) through its definitive frames.

Odd moments and observations

• There’s a scene about halfway through where Marie Prevost just... stands there. Everyone else is panicking, and she’s just staring at the wall like she forgot her lines. It’s the most honest moment in the film.
• The background extras in the party scene look like they were pulled off the street five minutes before filming. One guy in the corner is definitely eating a sandwich he brought himself.
• Louise Beavers is honestly the only one who knows what she’s doing. She brings a calm energy to a room that is otherwise exploding with pointless panic.

It’s not as tightly put together as His Wooden Wedding, but it’s got heart, I guess? Or maybe it just has a lot of noise. It’s hard to tell the difference sometimes.

There is a lot of running. People run into doors. People run out of doors. They run into each other, fall down, and get back up just to do it again. It reminded me a bit of the frantic vibe in Handle with Care, though this is definitely sillier.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Hesitating Love (1932) through its definitive frames.

I found myself wondering if they just kept rolling the cameras until the film ran out. Some of these takes feel like they went on for three minutes too long. You can literally see the actors trying to keep a straight face while waiting for the cue to stop being ridiculous.

It’s a bit of a relic. A dusty, scratchy, loud little relic. If you’re bored, give it a shot. If you aren't, go watch something else. 🤷‍♂️