The Purchase Price (1932) - William A. Wellman

Nightclub singer Joan Gordon works at the nightclubs where she is constantly harassed by small-time hood Eddie Fields, a married man whose very insistent about his feelings for Joan.  Fed up of his antics Joan decides to flee the big city of Montreal where she becomes a mail-order bride for Jim Gilson, a North Dakota country farmer.  William A Wellman's The Purchase Price is a
simple yet effective narrative which does a good job at capturing the notion of what Love truly means.  The relationship between Joan and Jim is the heart and soul of the film with their back and forth relationship being a nice symbol of the work that goes into marriage.  When Joan first arrives she has nothing but disdain for her husband, even making him sleep in another bed.  As time passes, she begins to fall in love with him, leading him now being the one to question their relationship.  This whole dynamic really touches on the idea of earning one's love, with the film's conclusion really doing a beautiful job at coming full circle.   The other theme which the film touches on is love vs. money.   Eddie is the character who represents money, a man who could give Joan anything she wants even though to him she is just another woman he wants to take to bed.  On the other side is Jim, a poor farmer who offers very little to Joan but love, even if he resists her because of her initial disgust of him.  Wellman treats all these characters with respect, notably Eddie, who is never portrayed in a negative light.  He is a bit of sleazebag, being married and all, but I never felt Joan was in danger around him.  William Wellman's The Purchase Price is a very simplistic narrative and while not one of his best it still has a lot going for it.
7.5/10

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