Silent movies - When a Man Loves

I warned you. I said the profile would be back and here it is. Applause for Mr. John Barrymore, ladies and gentlemen!

I even broke my rule of the first picture
always being the theatrical poster if there's one.

Please also welcome his third wife Dolores Costello.
Today's movie is "When a Man Loves" which is based on the 18th century French novel "Manon Lescaut".

Here's the plot (as usual with spoilers).
A little warning first. My feelings towards the movie may have colored my description just a tad 😐

Young Chevalier Fabien des Grieux has devoted his life to church, but when he meets the even younger Manon who is taken to a convent by her brother André, they passionately fall in love at first sight. Fabien has only just received a medal sent by the Bishop to protect him against temptations of the flesh, but drops it to the floor on the first look.
Comte Guillot de Morfontaine, who has shared the siblings' carriage, offers André a lot of money for Manon. Of course Fabien rescues her and they escape to Paris where they spend a happy week together - even though Fabien has to hock his shoe buckles so he can buy Manon a locket. "But this silly locket isn't what I wanted!" Off to a great start.

This plan has not been thought through completely.
Or rather not at all.

Tiberge, Fabien's friend, finds Manon - as does her brother -, but while he can't persuade her to "give Fabien back to them", them being his father and God, André manages to make her leave with him by threatening Fabien with prison.
Fabien is devastated when he comes back and finds Manon's note - half of which André has torn off in order to deceive Fabien into thinking Manon has left him voluntarily - even more so after his friend Tiberge who has come searching for him tells him about her and Morfontaine and points out Manon driving by in a fancy carriage. Of course he doesn't know that Manon had escaped and almost been assaulted by a commoner before André has found her and taken her back.

"Oh Manon, Manon." All she left for Fabien is a note
and her kitten Fifi to take care of "until she's back".
Sorry to say that, but Manon is young, but also an idiot.
Not sure Fabien is much better.

At a club Fabien meets the couple again. Manon is delighted to see him, but he causes a scandal by throwing gold coins at her he has won gambling and leaves. Tiberge informs his father that he's back at the seminary studying for priesthood.
The night before he will take the vow of priesthood, however, Manon turns up at the church.

"I love only you, Fabien, I have left him." (Going where?)
 "You still wear his jewels!" (So dramatic! And hammy.)
"I'm sorry, Fabien - but I'm just a woman. I shall always
love jewels and pretty clothes. Oh, and I have missed
you and Fifi so much." "Well, why didn't you say so?
Let's run away once more before you end up in the streets!"
Ok, not all of these are exact quotes, but still.

So those two fools run off again and lead a merry life - still unmarried, with brother André in the house, and have "golden days", thanks to FATHER'S CREDIT. You gotta be kidding me. Of course Dad stops the credit after hearing Fabien's back together with Manon.

"Oops. No money. That's unexpected. Why don't I tell
Manon to buy the expensive necklace?"
What the heck is wrong with you, Fabien??

Fabien can't bear the thought to deny Manon any luxury, though, so André suggests cheating at cards for which Fabien shows an amazing talent.

Back to Morfontaine who still isn't ready to give up Manon. He wants Cardinal Richelieu to convince King Louis XV to help him get her back. The King is smitten with Manon's beauty, though, and insists on gambling with Fabien for her. Two aces of diamonds are shown and of course the King can't be accused of cheating and thus wins Manon, but Richelieu convinces him that Manon would just drag the royal name through the mud and to leave her to Morfontaine instead.
Meanwhile, Fabien fights trying to save Manon. That's right, we are entering the swashbuckling phase now.

"That's right, I'm not just a pretty good cheat, but
also a great fighter. What are four or five men to me?"

Still refused by Manon, the Comte has her taken to the Prison of the Magdalen for deportation to Louisiana. Fabien rushes over there to ask the Prefect of Police for mercy. Surprise! The Prefect is Morfontaine who shows him Manon just boarding the cart taking the "fallen women" to the ship and promises Fabien the scaffold.

Not a brilliant idea, Monsieur le Comte, after all of
your experiences with Fabien you had expected
him to be caught quietly when he's quite
obviously mad (with love)? R.I.P.

Fabien follows the carriage and jumps in and follows Manon onto the ship as well.
And who catches the captain's eye? Well, it's Manon of course. Fabien's intervention gets him sent to the hellhold (no typo, that's what the title card says), but one of the other women helps Manon saying she's ill.

Fabien has plans of his own. He incites his fellow prisoners to mutiny and he's giving it his all jumping around in the cage until they break their chains successfully and take over the ship.

I'm getting definite Mr. Hyde vibes in here.

Manon gets saved yet again and she and Fabien leave in a small boat.
"Yonder - America! For us freedom - and everlasting love."

The happy ending the book doesn't have. If they
make it through the stormy sea in that tiny boat, that is.
They got that far, though, so they probably will.

A lot of people seem to like, no, love this movie. So romantic. Oh, the things he does for her. The amazing chemistry between the two lovers. Compelling performance. A wonderful period drama. Everything from romance to swashbuckling. I could keep going.

But I don't love it. In fact, I was sooo close to not finishing it. After about 15 minutes. These two annoyed me so much, and I wasn't sure it was because of the story (which, to remind you, is based on an 18th century novel (that I'm definitely not going to read)), because of the acting (I've seen overacting before, but it never bothered me this much), because of the chemistry (which I couldn't find, but I have to admit I had a problem seeing a 45 year old Barrymore supposed to be around the same age as a 23 year old Costello and couldn't get over that) or if it's my current mood.

Mind you, I loved the costumes ("I'm just a woman. I shall always love jewels and pretty clothes", you remember) and I honestly think I could have had a LOT of fun with Barrymore's acting - just look at the pictures I have chosen - but not with this story. Or those people.
You know, I really think that's it - I just couldn't put up with Manon and Fabien and their love story.
Heck, I had fewer problems with Morfontaine. At least Sam de Grasse made a great villain (just as he did as Prince John in "Robin Hood" and the pirate lieutenant in "The Black Pirate").

Then there was, as silly as it may sound to you, Fifi.
It made me nervous how they kept handling the kitten, it was always around, even when Fabien went out drinking. Then they showed Fifi once grown up and that was it which was actually better for my peace of mind.

I'm sorry, I know this is a lot of rambling, but that's exactly the feeling the film gave me.
Well, I said before that I will always tell you my personal opinion and in this case I didn't even use any sources.
The movie will not end up on my re-watch list, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up on John Barrymore as well. The profile will be back eventually!

Oh, one last thing. Cardinal Richelieu. I just have to show you a picture of him. Makeup goals? A little cat on the cheek?