Splendor (1935) Review: Miriam Hopkins vs. Her Terrible In-Laws

If you like watching rich people be absolutely terrible to each other while wearing fancy silk, you should probably give this a watch. It is one of those movies that makes you glad you aren't part of a "dynasty."

People who enjoy 1930s melodramas where everyone talks fast and looks slightly damp will have a good time. If you want a fast-paced plot or heroes who actually stand up for themselves, you'll probably hate this one. 🙄

The Lorrimore family is basically a sinking ship. They have this huge house and a lot of pride, but zero dollars in the bank.

Brighton, the son, goes away and comes back with Phyllis, played by Miriam Hopkins. The family wanted him to marry a girl named Edith who has a massive inheritance.

When Phyllis walks into the house, the atmosphere gets cold fast. You can almost feel the draft in the room when the mother, Mrs. Lorrimore, looks her up and down.

Helen Westley plays the mother, and she is scary. She doesn't scream; she just judges you with her eyes while holding a teacup.

The movie is a bit of a slow burn, but in a way that feels like watching a car crash in slow motion. You know things are going to get ugly for Phyllis.

Joel McCrea plays Brighton, and honestly, he is kind of a wet blanket. He wants to be a writer, but he just lets his mother push him into a job he hates.

There is this one scene where he’s sitting at a desk looking at a pile of papers like they are written in a foreign language. It’s actually pretty funny, even if it’s supposed to be sad.

The real meat of the story is how the mother decides to use Phyllis. She realizes Phyllis is pretty and charming, so she pushes her toward Brighton's boss.

It’s super uncomfortable to watch. It is basically the mother pimping out her daughter-in-law just to keep the family name relevant.

Miriam Hopkins is great here. She has this way of looking at a room like she’s trying to find the nearest exit without being rude.

She’s much better than the material she’s given, honestly. Some of the dialogue feels like it was written for a stage play where everyone has to shout to the back row.

I noticed a weird thing with the lighting in the hallway scenes. It’s so dark that sometimes the actors' foreheads just disappear into the shadows.

The movie feels a bit like those old shorts, maybe something like Blue Blood and Bevo, where the whole joke is just how out of touch the upper class is. Except here, it isn't really a joke.

It gets really tense toward the end. The pressure on Phyllis to "be nice" to the boss reaches a breaking point.

There’s a small role for David Niven too. He’s young and has this tiny mustache that looks like it was drawn on with a pencil.

He doesn't have much to do, but he’s always just... there, in the background, looking like he’s waiting for a drink. 🍸

The house itself feels like a character. It’s full of these heavy curtains and portraits of dead people who probably wouldn't like Phyllis either.

I kept waiting for someone to just say "no" to the mother. But nobody does, because the Lorrimores are addicted to their own status.

The ending feels a little bit rushed. It’s like the writers realized they only had five minutes left and needed to wrap up years of family trauma.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s interesting. It’s a snapshot of a time when losing your money was considered worse than losing your soul.

If you see it on a late-night channel, don't change it immediately. Just watch for the way Miriam Hopkins handles a cigarette; it’s a lesson in acting all by itself.

One reaction shot of the mother during dinner lingers way too long. It starts to feel like a horror movie for a second.

Anyway, it’s a solid 3 out of 5 for me. Mostly for the outfits and the sheer audacity of the mother-in-law.