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5.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Their Mad Moment remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have seventy minutes to spare and love dusty 1930s romantic fluff, Their Mad Moment is absolutely worth a watch tonight. Its perfect for anyone who likes sassy pre-code heroines and silly plots, but you should probably skip it if you can't stand theatrical acting or fake European accents. 😅
Dorothy Mackaill is the main reason to watch this. She has this constant look in her eyes like she knows the movie is ridiculous, and she is just having fun anyway.
The story is pretty simple. Her stepmother wants her to marry a rich English lord, but instead, she runs off with a rugged Basque peasant played by Warner Baxter.
Warner Baxter’s accent is... something else. It slides around between French, Spanish, and just plain loud, but his mustache looks great.
Their is a scene on a windy cliff where you can tell the actors are just desperately trying to keep their hats from flying away. The dialogue gets totally drowned out by the fake wind machine.
And oh, Zasu Pitts is in this! She plays the maid and basically steals the entire movie just by waving her hands and looking worried.
I kept thinking about how different this feels compared to other cheap dramas from that era, like The Saleslady. This one doesn't have any real grit, it's just pure romantic escapism.
Some of the editing is really choppy. At one point, they are arguing in a hotel room, and then suddenly they are on a boat with zero explanation of how they got there.
Also, the stepmother wears these gigantic hats. They are so big they almost block the other actors out of the frame.
There is also this weirdly long pause where Warner just stares at a bowl of soup. I have no idea why the director left that in, but it made me laugh.
It doesn't try to be a heavy drama like Corruption. It just wants to be a breezy, slightly messy romance, and it works if you don't think too hard.
Its a fun little time capsule. Not a masterpiece, but definitely a good time if you like old films.
