Francis and Powell shine in 'Jewel Robbery'

Jewel Robbery (1932)
Starring: Kay Francis, William Powell, Helen Vinson, Spencer Charters, Lee Kohlmar, Clarence Wilson, Hardie Albright, Andre Luguet, and Alan Mowbray
Director: William Dieterle

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A bored socialite in a loveless marriage (Francis) and a dapper jewel thief (Powell) fall in love with each other when he robs a store while she is shopping at it.

 

"Jewel Robbery" is a fun, straight-forward romantic comedy. In fact, it's so straight-forward that I kept expecting this or that action on behalf of a character to be the prelude of something tragic or sinister... but, with one minor exception, it wasn't. Every character in this film is exactly who and what they appear to be, and the story follows a very simple A to B to C progression from beginning to end.

But that's okay, because Kay Francis and William Powell are so much fun to watch together that you're going to want things to be honest and up-front between them. In fact, I suspect that if I had been watching this movie in 1932, I probably would not have thought Powell's character was up to something other than a) securing his stolen loot, and b) following up on the pretty blatant signals he was getting Francis' character in the jewelry store. 

Of course, it also helps that Francis spends about half the movie in a dress that looks like it'll fall off her at any moment. (Even if she wasn't such a good actress, Francis is worth watching just for how great she looks in the outfits she wears in this movie. Or almost doesn't wear...)

Although this film is dominated by Francis & Powell--they are the stars, they have the most screen-time, and they're really the only characters we care about as the film unfolds--there is literally not a character that doesn't get to have at least one memorable moment in the film. Any performer who has a line either has a memorable, amusing line, or they get to have some other noteworthy moment; even the very minor character of the maid gets to mug at the camera in reaction to a massive bouquet of flowers  that mysteriously appear (as Powell's way of announcing himself to Francis). There is literally not a wasted moment in this picture, nor any element of it that doesn't work or that falls in the least bit flat, and everyone involved gets to shine. If you only watch one Pre-Code romantic comedy, you wouldn't regret making "Jewel Robbery" the one.

So, since I really have nothing negative to say about the picture, why is it only getting a Nine of Ten rating? Well, partly because I'm not sure if my feeling that the film is just a little too straight-forward really is an artifact of the 90 years that have passed since it's release or if this story DID need another complication or two. Also, I was enjoying the interplay between Francis & Powell's characters so much that I really wanted a bit more of a denouement than what we're provided with. Yes--I am aware that such niceties were not a well-established part of cinematic storytelling in the 1930s, but I wasn't really for this movie to end when it did. It's a good ending, but I wanted MORE!

"Jewel Thief" is one of four movies from the Pre-Code era that can be found in the DVD collection "Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 4". It's worth the price almost entirely by itself, so I recommend this set highly.