The Divorce of Lady X

This droll comedy of manners and morals was based on a play and made as a film once before in 1932 as COUNSEL’S OPINION, directed by Allan Dwan. The four screenwriters’ literate script takes Merle Oberon to a London hotel where she is attending a costume party. The weather turns foul and she must spend the night at the hostelry with several other ladies who were unable to make it home. Laurence Olivier is a young lawyer occupying a suite and the manager prevails on him to give up some of the space in his copious quarters, but Olivier is adamant until Oberon uses her wiles on him. The result is that she gets the comfortable bed and Olivier must snooze on the floor in the next room. In the morning, she leaves before he can find out anything about this fascinating and attractive woman. Her alacrity causes him to wonder if she’s married. When he arrives at his office, an old school chum contacts him and wants Olivier to handle his divorce. The man is sure his wife spent the night with another man at the same hotel we’ve seen earlier. Olivier can’t believe this nerd could be married to Oberon. He isn’t, of course, and his wife is someone else entirely. But Olivier doesn’t know that yet. So it gets down to one of those British drawing-room farces where identities are mistaken, accusations are made, absurd situations occur, and Olivier and Oberon are together at the finale. Oberon shows she can play light comedy as well as some of the heavier work she had to do over the years.

Starring Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Binnie Barnes