Living on Velvet
Living on Velvet
NR | 02 March 1935 (USA)
Living on Velvet Trailers

A lay-about falls for his best friend's fiancee. The two of them run away from a life of privilege to one of middle-class normalcy. When an influx of money enters their life, their differences come to light.

Reviews
Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review
Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
mark.waltz The focus is on George Brent for once, not leading lady Kay Francis, in this drama about a troubled amateur pilot who accidentally kills his sister and parents when flying in the fog with a low tank of gas. So what do you do when you kill off your family, lose your pilot license and really have no other goal in life than to party your life away? Look for a rich socialite to support you! That would appear to be the case in Brent's sudden flirtation and marriage to the well dressed Francis who falls in love with his non-conformist ways from the start, even allowing him to laugh at her charming speech impediment as she recites "30 days has September", pronouncing April as "Apwil". You have to give Ms. Francis credit for allowing the script writer to include this "wefewance" to her inability to really pronounce any word with the letter "r", and the scene is more than just a cute passing reference to the well publicized deficient in her speech. They marry and are soon living in the country, against the advice of Francis's well-meaning but interfering aunt (Helen Lowell).Better known for her glamorous wardrobe more than for her slight lisp, Francis actually goes from gowns to house dresses, shockingly shown cleaning cupboards as Brent prepares to go grocery shopping. Of course, he comes back with only half of what is on the list, which is supposed to be an indication to her that he is not very responsible. To think that she gently dumped his friend Warren William (her co-star from "Dr. Monica") for Brent is unbelievable, and when she reveals that she had hoped to change him by marrying him, you know she's asking for heartache. A man like Brent's character can't be easily manipulated, and even if her intentions seem good (starting by aiding him in getting over his suppressed guilt), he's sort of like Holly Golightly from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" to where he does wacky things just to act like he's living, even though he's only living an obvious imitation of life. One scene after a break-up has Francis laughing heartily simply just for the point of laughing to hide her pain, and it seems rather false. In fact, this being a woman's picture told from a man's angle makes this seem rather forced from the beginning, even though Brent and Francis are a good team. It's odd to see Warren William on the sidelines in this, although he does provide the wisdom in their circle of friends, making him the guiding light in the solving of the issues that Francis's character wanted to become.
calvinnme I say "oddly" because I cannot nail down precisely why I like it so much. There's just something magical and Christmas-like - in a renewed hope kind of way - about this film.I admit that I would find Terry Parker (George Brent) an unendurable jerk if it were not for the first scene showing the airplane wreck plus his one serious speech to his good friend and benefactor Gibraltar (Warren William) about why he is wrecking his own life with wild abandon. One act of carelessness - not being sure he had enough fuel when he piloted his family to an event - has resulted in all of their deaths while he walked away unharmed, and now he is being intentionally reckless and insuring that he will never be successful or happy. He feels he's living on borrowed time and he wants to be sure he can't pay back the loan.However, he can't help but reach for some bit of happiness when he meets Amy (Kay Francis) at a party. The two run out on the party, have a grand night together strolling through the park, riding in a carriage, and dunking donuts at dawn in a dingy diner. Then Terry learns that Amy is "Gibraltar's Amy" - the girl that his only true friend in the world loves and just told him about the day before. He won't betray that friendship, so in spite of Amy's pleas that the feeling is not mutual between herself and Gibralter, he refuses to see her any more and goes on a bender to try to get her out of his system. Uncharacteristic for almost any role Warren William ever played, he selflessly finds Terry, sobers him up, brings him back to Amy, and steps out of the way so that Terry and Amy can be together. Amy and Terry are immediately married, and Gibraltar lets them lease a lovely vacant house he owns on Long Island for only 4.50 a month.The two are fabulously happy at first, but then Terry starts in with his passive aggressive destruction of their marriage. He just can't let himself be happy. The whole thing ends rather abruptly and rather unbelievably in the way that so many 30's Warner films did, but the final scene is sure to warm your heart.What's great about this movie? It has a rather offbeat and unique premise even if word by word the dialogue is forgettable, Kay Francis and George Brent had amazing chemistry here as in all of their films, and there's that great romantic score playing through most of the film. I always thought that Warner's did these 30's high society dramas actually better than MGM, even though that was somewhat MGM's stock and trade, because Warner's knew to keep things moving and to the point rather than let things drag on as was the case in several similar films by MGM of that same era. Highly recommended.
Kalaman "Living on Velvet" is a passionate, though slightly incoherent Borzage melodrama starring Kay Francis and George Brent. I'm a fan of director Borzage and the always wavishing Kay Fwancis (she had trouble pronouncing the Rs), so I was very eager to see this one. I happened to watch "Living on Velvet" the other night together with another Borzage love story with Francis & Brent called "Stranded", also made in 1935 for Warner Brothers. Of the two films, "Living on Velvet" is the best and most uncompromising illustration of Borzage's lifelong preoccupation with spirituality and humanity. Francis is wonderful in the role of Amy Prentiss, the passionate, devoted wife of Terry Parker (Brent), a rather reckless pilot who miraculously survived a plane crash with his family. The most romantic & unforgettable moment is of course the scene in which Terry meets Amy, seriously looking each other for the first time, their charging eyes never even blinking. The scene is one of Borzage's greatest achievements. It illustrates his genuine commitment to his material; the couple is looking at love itself, something concrete and tangible. Our involvement and identification are heightened through the emotional intensity of the couple's passion. The capable supporting players include Warren William as Gibraltar, Terry's best friend, and Helen Lowell as Aunt Martha.
Arthur Hausner There's not much of a plot. George Brent piloted a plane which crashed killing his parents and sister, while he walked away with hardly a scratch. So he believes he's living on borrowed time - "living on velvet" as he puts it. But he meets Kay Francis, the fiancee of his best friend, Warren William, and they fall in love. William wants her to be happy and not only approves of their marriage, but helps them out by setting them up in a Long Island estate he rents at $4.50 a month. Still the marriage has its problems because of Brent's irresponsible attitudes about working.Although the movie is somewhat enjoyable at the melodramatic level, there is one sequence that had me in stitches. To appreciate it, you must know in advance that Kay Francis always had trouble with the letter "r", which often sounded like "w". I notice it in all her movies. Here, George Brent gently ribs her about it. The night they meet, he tells her he likes the sound of her voice, and asks her to say something nice and long. She begins "30 days has September, Apwil June..." "Apwil? Apwil?" he interrupts. "Repeat after me please 'Around the rugged rocks the ragged rascals ran'." Miss Francis repeats it, purposely exaggerating the "w" sound and starts her poem again this time saying "Aprrril", but letting the "w" sound creep in for some of the other months. It is a very funny sequence. As star of the movie, she easily could have suppressed that dialogue, but all the more power to her for letting it stay. It raised my opinion of her considerably.