Devotion

1931
Approved
1h 21m

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

290

YOUR RATING

Comedy Drama Romance

The poor, downtrodden (beautiful, of course) "dutiful" daughter of a London society family falls for a barrister, disguises herself, and takes a job as governess to his son. Adapted from the... Read allThe poor, downtrodden (beautiful, of course) "dutiful" daughter of a London society family falls for a barrister, disguises herself, and takes a job as governess to his son. Adapted from the novel, "A Little Flat in the Temple"The poor, downtrodden (beautiful, of course) "dutiful" daughter of a London society family falls for a barrister, disguises herself, and takes a job as governess to his son. Adapted from the novel, "A Little Flat in the Temple"

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

290

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
This film was not successful at the box office, resulting in a loss to RKO of $40,000 (over $835,000 in 2024) according to studio records.

Goofs
The father of Ann Harding's character, evidently an archaeologist, says he has discovered a tablet with a law of Emperor Caesar Augustus. He adds that the law was repealed in 63 B.C. Augustus was born in 63 B.C. and became emperor in 27 B.C., so this is a little off.

Quotes
Shirley: Yes, please. Milk, milk. And two lumps of camphor... i mean sugar.

Soundtracks
Londonderry Air
(uncredited)
Music attributed to Rory Dall O'Cahan
In the score during the opening credits and at the end

User reviews12

Review

Featured review

Robert Williams sparkles in this Ann Harding dud

What a bore. Every bit the "creaky early talkie", DEVOTION (1931) is stagey and the soundtrack is full of dead air and awkward silences. The story concerns "wallflower" Ann Harding disguising herself as a middle-aged governess in order to get closer to Leslie Howard (whom she secretly loves).

The movie is a chore to sit through. I've never really been a fan of Ann Harding, and she looks ridiculous in her old lady disguise. Seen nowadays, the movie is so preposterous and overdone as to be unintentionally funny. Harding's whole plan comes off as really creepy to a modern audience.

And why is Harding, a daughter in a fairly well-off family, doing chores with the servants while her parents and sisters entertain guests in the parlor? Is she the black sheep of the family? Is it a Cinderella situation?

The movie's not a total loss, however.

Robert Williams's naturalistic acting practically jumps off the screen, in contrast to the rest of the cast. Williams's bright future in Hollywood was cut short when he died shortly after this film's release in 1931. He had a natural way of delivering his lines that really stands out in DEVOTION, even though he only has a few scenes. If nothing else, this film gives viewers a rare chance to see Williams at work.