I have absolutely no memory of watching this before, but here I am. Barbara Stanwyck plays a chorus girl/torch singer who becomes a farmer's mail-order bride in order to escape her life in the big city. What follows is mostly a fish-out-of-water story where the newlyweds struggle to accustom themselves to each other, peppered with some colorful townsfolk. In other words, there wasn't really a lot of dramatic stuff going on. By the time a couple things do happen, when a man from Barbara's recent past shows up, it almost feels a little too late. This was well-presented with good performances and technical aspects, and in line with Warner Brothers' more working-class focus, it portrayed that part of society in a very considerate, nuanced manner. The problem for me is that much of the middle section of the film was kind of boring. Not bad, but also not the best thing I've seen from any of the talent involved. And towards the end, it reminded me of the better Murnau film, City Girl. Good-natured, but plain.
Review of The Purchase Price
