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7.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Jazz Cinderella remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you are looking for something fast and exciting, you should probably skip this one right now. But if you have a soft spot for grainy 1930s films where everyone talks like they have a marble in their mouth, then you might find something here.
It is definitely for the people who enjoy seeing how movies used to handle class drama before everything got so complicated. If you hate slow-moving plots and characters who just stare at each other, you will probably find this quite boring.
I sat down to watch this because I wanted to see Myrna Loy before she became a massive star. She plays Mildred Vane, the socialite that the rich guy is supposed to marry, and honestly, she is the best part of the whole thing. 🍸
The story focuses on Patricia Murray, who works as a model in a department store. She is played by Nancy Welford, who has these big, wide eyes that look like they belong in a silent movie still.
She is the sweetheart of Herbert Carter, a guy who is rich enough to never have to worry about the price of eggs. His mother, though, is the real piece of work in this storry.
She is one of those class-conscious mothers who thinks anyone who works for a living is basically invisible. It is the kind of character you want to throw a shoe at. 👠
For a movie called The Jazz Cinderella, there is surprisingly little jazz happening. I expected more dancing and maybe a few more horns, but it mostly feels like a standard drawing-room drama.
There is this one scene in the department store where the lighting is just weirdly dim. It feels like they forgot to turn on half the lamps on the set that day.
Patricia is trying on clothes, and the way she moves is so formal. It is like she is afraid if she moves too fast, the whole set will fall down. 👗
I noticed a guy in the background of one party scene who just stands there holding a glass for about five minutes without taking a sip. It made me wonder if it was real ginger ale or just colored water he didn't want to touch.
The dialogue is very stiff, which is common for 1930. They were still figuring out how to make talking sound natural on camera.
It reminds me a bit of the pacing in New York Nights, where the silence between lines feels a little bit too long. You can almost hear the actors waiting for the director to nod at them.
"I don't care about your money, Herbert!" Patricia says at one point, and you can tell the actress really, really wants you to believe it.
But the movie keeps trying to convince us that the money is the problem. It is a very 1930s obsession.
Even though she is not the lead, Myrna Loy just has this look. She is playin the socialite Mildred Vane, and she does the "mean girl" thing with a lot of class.
She makes the lead actress look a bit bland by comparison. Every time Myrna is on screen, the energy in the room seems to go up just a little bit. ⚡
There is a scene where they are all at a fancy dinner, and the way the mother looks at Patricia is genuinely chilling. It’s that "I am better than you" squint that rich villains do so well.
The movie doesn't have the grit of something like Robes of Sin. It feels much more polite, even when people are being horrible to each other.
I found myself getting distracted by the hats. The hats in this movie are absolutely massive and look very heavy.
How did women in the 30s not have constant neck pain from wearing those things? It is a mystery to me.
The sound quality on the version I watched was pretty rough. There is a constant buzzing in the background that sounds like a very angry bee is trapped in the microphone.
There is a shot where Herbert is looking at Patricia, and the camera stays on his face for way too long. He just has this blank expression, and it becomes funny after about ten seconds. 😂
I also liked the scenes in the department store more than the ones in the mansions. The store feels more like a real place, even if the models are all acting like robots.
It is interesting to compare this to other films from the same era like The Climbers. You can see how the studios were all trying to tell the same story about social climbing.
The ending is exactly what you think it will be. There are no big twists or surprises here, which is fine if you just want something comfy to watch while you fold laundry.
It is not a masterpiece, and it’s definitely not the best thing the director ever did. But it has a certain charm that is hard to find in modern movies.
One thing that bothered me was how Herbert just lets his mom talk to Patricia like she is dirt. He needs to grow a spine, honestly. 🦴
The way they used music to tell you how to feel is very obvious. When the mom enters, the music gets all sharp and prickly, just in case you didn't know she was the villain.
If you have some time to kill and you like old Hollywood, give it a watch. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything.
It’s a decent way to spend an hour and a bit if you are into history. Or if you just really like looking at 1930s furniture. 🪑
I think it’s better than Lightnin' Strikes, but maybe not as memorable as some of the other stuff from that year.
Anyway, that's my take. It’s a bit of a dusty relic, but it has its moments if you look close enough.
IMDb 6.7
1924
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