The Private Life Of Don Juan

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Actors: Merle Oberon , Benita Hume , Bruce Winston , Douglas Fairbanks , Gina Malo

Director: Alexander Korda

IMDB Rate: 6.3 out of 10 (108 votes)

Plot Summary:There comes a time in a mans life when he needs rest, and Im going to have it! So says the aging Don Juan (Douglas Fairbanks), badly needing a vacation from his status as the worlds greatest lover. And so it was with Fairbanks himself in this, his final film after decades of swashbuckling stardom. It was 1934--the Great Depression was in full swing, and Fairbanks wasnt faring much better audiences grew weary of the adventures that made him a superstar throughout the 1920s. Here, Fairbankss farewell takes the form of self-deprecating satire, showing Don Juan on a diet, getting a massage after a night of leaping from the balconies of bored wives and swooning maidens. Its fun to a point, and although Fairbanks seems as tired as his character, he gamely pokes fun at his image while upholding its screen traditions. The film itself is 30s comedy at its stodgiest veteran British producer-director Alexander Korda has all of Englands filmmaking resources at his disposal, including sets and costumes as lavish as they come, and yet he seems to have no affinity for the humor. Its hit-and-miss, with Don Juan faking his own death to earn his much-needed rest. The plan backfires, naturally, forcing the still-vital lover to convince his true beloved (played by Merle Oberon) that hell be faithful to the end. Clearly, the best way to appreciate The Private Life of Don Juan is to view it in the context of Fairbankss stellar career isolated from that legacy of screen charm and physicality, this movie badly needs Viagra.