The Warrior's Husband is a satire of the male and female roles in society set in 800 B.C. starring Elissa Landi as Antiope, an Amazonian beauty and sister to the queen of Pontus. Queen Hippolyta (Marjorie Rambeau) rules Pontus with masculine authority; in fact, it is the women of Pontus who do all the laboring, fighting, and governing. Hippolyta's husband Sapiens (Ernest Truex) is truly a sissy of the first order, and is not unlike most of Pontus' male inhabitants. When the Greek army under Theseus (DM) invades in pursuit of the queen's "magic girdle," the appearance of real men on the scene is strange and unnerving to the women of Pontus. Struck by Antiope's beauty Theseus woos her and, reluctantly at first, she falls in love with him. Realizing the value of male leadership, the Amazons willingly allow the men to assume control.
According to Variety, "Warrior's Husband could have been an exceptional picture. Trouble is that its premise isn't sustained throughout. When the farce is slapped on, its uproarious fun. But they insist on playing it down in spots. It goes straight for spells and then it is boring. In the last analysis it's an "idea" picture. Idea, originally, was a satirical one. Ralph Spence being assigned to the dialog and adaptation indicates that Lasky intended to turn it into straight farce. And these portions will hold up the picture. Miss Rambeau and Miss Landi are excellent, Miss Landi making it her best screen work to date. Truex leaves something to be desired. Either he's not effeminate enough, or he takes too many comedy falls in the wrong spots. Manners, as the handsome soldier, is a fine choice."
If The Warrior's Husband, quite racy for its time, had come along the following year it could not have been made as it was in 1933 prior to the Hays Code crackdown. In the 1970's The Warrior's Husband was shown on television but has since disappeared.
|