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6.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Office Wife remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're into that snappy 1930s dialogue and don't mind a movie that feels a bit like a stage play, then yeah, it's worth an hour of your time. You'll probably hate it if you need big action or if old-school gender roles make your eye twitch uncontrollably.
The movie is basically about emotional labor before we actually had a fancy word for it. Dorothy Mackaill plays Anne, the secretary who knows exactly how the boss likes his coffee and when he's about to have a meltdown.
Lewis Stone is the boss, Fellowes. He’s that classic 1930s executive who is supposedly a genius at business but is a total clueless idiot when it comes to the women in his life.
He has a real wife, played by Natalie Moorhead, but she’s mostly just there to look expensive and act annoyed. You kinda feel for her, but the movie really wants you to root for the secretary who actually does the work.
There is this one scene where Anne is fixing his desk and the way she touches his things is... well, it’s a lot. It’s way more intimate than anything he does with his actual spouse in the whole film.
The whole plot is kicked off because this guy Larry asks Anne to help him write a story about "Office Wives." It's a bit meta for 1930, honestly.
They talk about how these secretaries are basically doing the job of a wife without any of the legal benefits. It’s pretty cynical if you think about it for more than two seconds.
Joan Blondell shows up as the sister, and thank god she did. She’s easily the best part of the movie because she feels like a real human being instead of a character in a melodrama.
Every time she’s on screen, the energy just shifts. She has this way of looking at the other characters like she knows thier all being a bit ridiculous.
I noticed a weird thing in the background of the office scenes. There’s a guy in the back who just keeps moving the same piece of paper for like three minutes straight.
The sound quality is a bit crunchy, which is expected for 1930. You have to squint with your ears sometimes to catch the jokes, but thier usually pretty good.
It’s definitely better than April Fool if you want something with actual stakes. But it doesn't quite have the weird dark energy of The Show.
There’s a lot of typing. So much typing. The sound of the typewriters almost becomes like a background music track after a while.
The movie doesn't really try to be clever with the ending. It goes exactly where you think it's going to go from the first ten minutes.
I liked the fashion, though. Dorothy Mackaill has some incredible hats that look like they might tip her over if she turns her head too fast.
One thing that felt really honest was how tired everyone looked. Offices back then looked like exhausting places to be, all smoke and heavy furniture.
It’s a short movie, which is a plus. It doesn't overstay its welcome, unlike some of the other stuff from this era like Germania which can feel like a bit of a slog.
There is a moment where Fellowes finally realizes he’s in love, and his face does this weird twitching thing. I think it was supposed to be emotional, but it just looked like he had a localized muscle spasm.
Overall, it’s a decent little time capsule. It shows that even a hundred years ago, people were still confused about how to act at work. 🏢
If you've ever had a work spouse, you'll probably find this either very relatable or deeply uncomfortable. Or maybe both.
IMDb 5.9
1916
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