Overview
When his mother dies, young Peter Ibbetson leaves Paris and his best friend, Mary, behind to live with a severe uncle in England. Years later, Peter is an architect with little time for women, until he begins a project with the Duke and Duchess of Towers. When Peter and the duchess become great friends, she reveals that she is Mary — but the duke soon suspects his wife of infidelity and challenges Peter to a duel, threatening the pair's second chance.
Reviews
Gary Cooper proves that there is a great deal more to his acting than spurs and saddles in this adaptation of George Du Maurier's fantasy drama. He portrays the eponymous character who after many years as a youth of dithering (Act 1), becomes an architect who lands a plum job refurbishing the stables on the estate of the wealthy "Duke of Towers" (John Holiday) (Act 2). After a fairly frosty start, he and the "Duchess" (Ann Harding) fall in love, a relationship of which the Duke is not entirely unaware. An altercation ensues, the "Duke" is killed and "Ibbetson" is jailed for the crime. What follows next (Act 3) is an ethereal intrigue as they live what's left of their lives as though joined in a dream. The score and direction provide for an atmospheric, romantic and quirky story that is still worth a watch 85 years on.