Back home

Dynamite

14 votes

Producing House

Wealthy Cynthia is in love with not-so-wealthy Roger, who is married to Marcia. The threesome is terribly modern about the situation, and Marcia will gladly divorce Roger if Cynthia agrees to a financial settlement. But Cynthia's wealth is in jeopardy because her trust fund will expire if she is not married by a certain date. To satisfy that condition, Cynthia arranges to marry Hagon Derk, who is condemned to die for a crime he didn't commit. She pays him so he can provide for his little sister. But at the last minute, Derk is freed when the true criminal is discovered. Expecting to be a rich widow, Cynthia finds herself married to a man she doesn't know and doesn't want to.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 1929-12-13

Runtime: 129 mins

Director: Cecil B. DeMille

Writer: Jeanie Macpherson

Spoken language: English

Genres: Drama

Original title: Dynamite

Production Companies: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
Money is certainly at the root of the evil for this love triangle as “Cynthia” (Kay Johnson) fancies the pants off the married “Roger” (Conrad Nagel) but he is married to her friend “Marcia” (Julia Faye). It turns out that she’d much rather have the cash than the man, though, and with “Cynthia” facing an interesting marital challenge if she is to keep her inherited fortune, agrees to swap her husband for $200,000! Thing is, she can’t get the cash in time so has to engage in a pro tem arrangement with death row candidate “Derk” (Charles Bickford) who is promised some funds for his young sister after he’s fried. Then her ointment gets a great big fly. The cops have the wrong man! Her new husband is released and “Cynthia” finds herself well and truly hitched. Luckily for her, he is no gold-digger but she’s going to need his cooperation if she is to keep her trust fund. He refuses to move in with her, so she must live with him and sister “Katie” (Muriel McCormac) and live by their, luxury-free, standards! Can they make it through the week without them killing each other - either intentionally or due to her abysmal cooking? The plot here isn’t the most difficult to anticipate but there are some solid characterisations and the humour works well, especially in the latter half of the drama when the salmon has to live as a sardine. It’s too long as once we’ve got the gist and the joke, it can tend to sag a little, but somehow you just know that someone, somewhere, is bound to do the right thing at some stage.
2025-03-04

Recommendations

Twister
3.3

Twister

1996-05-10

An unprecedented series of violent tornadoes is sweeping across Oklahoma. Tornado chasers, headed by

Manhattan
3.9

Manhattan

1979-04-25

Manhattan explores how the life of a middle-aged television writer dating a teenage girl is further

Four Weddings and a Funeral
3.4

Four Weddings and a Funeral

1994-03-09

Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may

Faces
3.5

Faces

1968-11-24

Middle-aged suburban husband Richard abruptly tells his wife, Maria, that he wants a divorce. As Ric

Not Here to Be Loved
3.4

Not Here to Be Loved

2005-10-12

Jean-Claude Delsart, a 50 years-old bailiff, with his worn-out smile and heart, abandoned a long tim

Short Sharp Shock
3.4

Short Sharp Shock

1998-10-15

Gabriel, Bobby and Costa are old friends from Altona, a multicultural hood in Hamburg. Just out of p

Popular Music
3.1

Popular Music

2004-10-01

Matti and Niila, growing up in the mid-sixties in the harsh and conservative environment of a Finnis

Sissi
3.6

Sissi

1955-12-22

The young Bavarian princess Elisabeth, who all call Sissi, goes with her mother and older sister Nén

Monsoon Wedding
3.4

Monsoon Wedding

2001-08-30

A stressed father, a bride-to-be with a secret, a smitten event planner, and relatives from around t

7 Virgins
3

7 Virgins

2005-10-14

Tano is 16-years-old and is already sitting in jail. In 48 hours he’s a free man and off to the wedd

Journey to Italy
3.6

Journey to Italy

1954-09-07

Married for eight years with no children, Brits Katherine and Alex Joyce are driving to Italy, their

About Schmidt
3.4

About Schmidt

2002-12-12

A recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover mo

Coast to Coast
3.3

Coast to Coast

2004-04-03

Barnaby and Maxine Pierce, an embattled married couple in Connecticut, are on the verge of divorce.

El hombre bueno
1.8

El hombre bueno

2024-03-06

Vera and Juan have made the decision to divorce and want Alonso to act as a Good Man, a kind of medi

Omelette
3.5

Omelette

1992-10-19

A story about a divorce.

The Soft Skin
3.5

The Soft Skin

1964-04-20

Pierre Lachenay is a well-known publisher and lecturer, married to Franca and father of Sabine. He s

Russian Dolls
3.3

Russian Dolls

2005-06-15

Five years after their summer together in Barcelona, Xavier, William, Wendy, Martine and Isabelle re

Seven Years in Tibet
3.6

Seven Years in Tibet

1997-09-12

Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer journeys to the Himalayas without his family to head an expedit

The Discovery of Heaven
3.1

The Discovery of Heaven

2001-10-01

Disappointed with humanity, God wants to revoke his contract with humanity and wants to take back th

Greed
3.6

Greed

1924-12-04

A lottery win of $5,000 forever changes the lives of a miner turned dentist and his wife.