HEARTS IN BONDAGE

 

HEARTS IN BONDAGE isn't a romantic melodrama--it is actually a 1936 Civil War story, dealing with the famous battle between the ironclad ships Merrimack and Monitor in 1862. This movie was produced by Republic Pictures, and it was directed by actor Lew Ayres (the only feature he ever would direct). 

James Dunn plays U.S. naval officer Kenneth Reynolds, and David Manners is his best friend and fellow officer Raymond. As the Southern states start to split from the Union, Reynolds stays with the North, while Raymond joins the Confederate cause. This causes complications, since Raymond's sister Constance (Mae Clarke) is engaged to Kenneth. When Confederate forces attack the Union's naval base at Norfolk, Virginia, Reynolds, in charge of the Merrimack, disobeys orders to destroy the ship and tries to save it instead. Reynolds is dishonorably discharged, and soon learns that Southern agents are raising the Merrimack and planning to use it to end a Union blockade. Reynolds, desperate to prove his worth, helps his uncle, inventor John Ericsson, in developing the Monitor, an ironclad vessel that will be a match for the similarly refurbished Merrimack. As the two technologically advanced ships battle, Kenneth and Raymond find themselves facing off against each other. 

HEARTS IN BONDAGE isn't a film filled with historical accuracy, despite the inclusion of real-life figures such as Abraham Lincoln, David Farragut, Gideon Welles, and John Ericsson. The main characters are fictional, and most of the story is built around their trials and tribulations. Like most Civil War tales made during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the main plot deals with friends or family members driven apart due to the conflict. Raymond's main reason for going over to the South is because his lady love (Charlotte Henry) has a father that has joined the Confederate side. This man is played by Henry B. Walthall, who of course had played a major role in the most famous Civil War picture made until that time, THE BIRTH OF A NATION. HEARTS IN BONDAGE also goes the classic Hollywood route in portraying both sides as noble and heroic (slavery is never mentioned). 

Lew Ayres signed a special contract with Republic Pictures in order to be able to direct this film. Today well-known actors directing features is not unusual, but in 1930s Hollywood it was unheard of. (A larger studio like MGM or Paramount probably wouldn't have given Ayres the chance that the smaller Republic did.) I thought Ayres did a very good job. The film has a nice pace to it (the running time is only 72 minutes), and one can tell that Ayres tried hard to give some visual flair to the proceedings. Republic was known for having an excellent special effects department, and the use of models and miniatures to create the final battle between the ironclads is expertly done for the period. Some might look at the effects now and not be impressed, but the other Hollywood studios of the time would have handled the battle in probably the same way. 

What hurts the film is the main characters. James Dunn and David Manners are not exactly the first actors you would think of when it comes to heroic military adventurers. (Lew Ayres himself would have been better in either role.) Mae Clarke does the best she can with her underwritten role, but her Constance comes off as a wet blanket to Kenneth's attempts to serve the Union. It is to Clarke's credit that Constance doesn't wind up being unappealing. Among the supporting cast are Gabby Hayes and Etta McDaniel, the lookalike sister of Hattie McDaniel. 

It's too bad that Lew Ayres didn't get a chance to direct another feature film, because I think he would have turned out some interesting projects. HEARTS IN BONDAGE is a well-done production that would have been much better if it had stronger male leads (and a stronger title). The main plot only scratches the surface when it comes to the story of the Merrimack and the Monitor, and it doesn't stand up to close historical scrutiny. Nevertheless, it's worth checking out.