Year: 1934
Director: Alexander Korda
Country: UK
Language: English
Douglas Fairbanks stars as the aging Don Juan. He's arrived secretly in Seville after a 20 year absence. His wife Dolores, whom he hasn't lived with in five years, still loves him. He refuses to see her; he fears the life of a husband. She has bought his debts and will remand him to jail for two years if he won't come to her. Meanwhile, an impostor is climbing the balconies of Seville claiming to be Don Juan. When a jealous husband kills him, the real Don Juan sees a way to avoid jail and get some peace. He hides as Captain Mariano in a small town. After six months, he's ready to return to society.
The Private Life of Don Juan is Douglas Fairbanks Sr.'s swan song. Shortly after this film he retired from acting and died five years later. Unfortunately he wasn't very successful in the sound era and as a result this wonderful film was easily dismissed by critics. Perhaps the reason Fairbanks plays the aging and forgotten Don Juan so well is because he himself was old and forgotten.
The film has a lot to say about status in regards to aging and society. As Don Juan gets older he can no longer do everything he was capable of in his youth. Certainly the women don't respond well to the aged man, refusing to believe that they swooned for him in the past. There are also great lessons in humility for Don Juan, as well as lessons in maturity. Through great rejection, the lonely Don Juan learns what it means to be faithful to his wife.
In conclusion, The Private Life of Don Juan is as brilliantly crafted as it is humorous. The comedy is very tongue-in-cheek with every actor not taking themselves too seriously, if at all. The costumes are extravagantly made, the sets are ambitious, the dialogue is intelligent and the soundtrack perfectly fits the tone of the film. A forgotten masterpiece indeed! Praise it! 5/5
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