Dodsworth

Truly stunning work from WAC on restoring this classic: it looks crisp and pristine and sounds great. The film itself depicts a marriage in freefall: a wealthy and recently-retired businessman (Walter Huston) discovers that his vain wife (Ruth Chatterton) doesn't want settle down — instead, she seems to be experiencing a mid-life crisis and wants to float around Europe with gigolos on her arm. Skillfully directed by William Wyler, this is a movie made for grown-ups. Great supporting turns from Mary Astor, David Niven and Paul Lukas.

The acting is terrific all around, with Walter Huston giving an especially nuanced performance of a man conflicted with where his life has taken him and the drifting apart he's found with his wife. I can't say I've seen a lot of movies from this period but the ones I have seen never dealt with marriage and divorce in such a frank way. Great movie.

Based on the novel by Nobel Literature Prize winner Sinclair Lewis, this 1936 film shows an interesting switch of traditional male/female roles and attitudes. Walter Huston plays the principal character. We have largely lost sight of him today but he is a towering acting presence . This should be on your short list of movies to see.