The Wedding Night

CinemaSerfJun 2022

3.0

On this face of it, this is just another one of these star vehicles with a story based on a restless hero with a bit of a roving eye. It actually turns out to be far better than that as Gary Cooper is "Tony" a writer who can't get published any more. Getting a bit low on the shekels, he, his wife "Dora" (Helen Vinson) and long-suffering handyman "Taka" (Otto Yamaoka) relocate to his rural home in Connecticut for inspiration. Once they get there, they sell a field to family of industrious Polish tobacco farmers and flush with some cash, his wife returns to New York leaving him and his companion alone. Cooper befriends the soon-to-be-married daughter "Manya Novak" (Anna Sten) and after a few false starts, she begins to provide him with inspiration for his book. When the Japanese "Taka" finally has enough of the harsh winters and quits, she steps in to help him get by and; well you can guess the rest. The writing is, at times, quite witty but probably more notable for taking a bit of a swipe at quite a few prejudices, especially relating to the culture of the Polish families and their attitudes towards marriage/women/property. There is a chemistry between Cooper and the shy looking, but characterful Sten and with Walter Brennan, sparingly, along to spice it up now and again, this is really a better than average little romantic comedy.