Merrily We Go to Hell (1932) in Color — Starring Sylvia Sidney & Fredric March

Merrily We Go to Hell (1932) — Buy This Classic in Color

Merrily We Go to Hell (1932) is a bold, unflinching pre-Code drama starring Fredric March as a charming but self-destructive alcoholic journalist and Sylvia Sidney as the devoted heiress who marries him believing her love can save him. Directed by Dorothy Arzner — one of only a handful of female directors working in Golden Age Hollywood — this professionally colorized version brings provocative new life to one of cinema’s most daring examinations of marriage, addiction, and codependency. Buy your colorized copy today for €15.00 and own this compelling classic movie in color.

Plot Summary

Joan Prentice is the sheltered, gentle daughter of a wealthy, rigidly proper Chicago family who meets Jerry Corbett — a witty, devastatingly charismatic newspaper reporter with a dazzling gift for words and a serious, worsening drinking problem — at a rooftop party and falls instantly, helplessly in love with his charm, his intelligence, and his dangerous, devil-may-care wit. Despite her father’s stern, prophetic objections and the evidence of her own eyes, Joan marries Jerry, absolutely convinced that her love, her patience, and her devotion will be powerful enough to save him from himself. At first the marriage is genuinely happy — Jerry adores her, the drinking seems manageable, and their life together sparkles with wit, tenderness, and real affection. But Jerry’s alcoholism steadily, inexorably worsens, fueled by his unresolved, obsessive feelings for a former girlfriend named Claire, a glamorous actress who reappears in his life with devastating timing and reignites his self-destructive impulses. The classic movie follows the increasingly desperate Joan as she watches her husband spiral downward into drunk nights, broken promises, public humiliation, and emotional cruelty — eventually proposing a shocking, radical open marriage arrangement as a last, desperate resort to hold their relationship together by matching Jerry’s infidelity with her own. Dorothy Arzner’s unflinching direction refuses to soften the consequences of addiction, codependency, and emotional betrayal, depicting with clinical precision how love without boundaries becomes its own form of destruction, building to a devastating climax in a hospital room where both characters are finally forced to confront what their marriage has cost them. Fredric March is brilliant as the charming, self-loathing Jerry — making you understand exactly why Joan loves him while showing you exactly how he destroys her — and Sylvia Sidney is heartbreaking as the woman whose love becomes her prison.

Cast & Crew

Director: Dorothy Arzner

Stars: Sylvia Sidney, Fredric March, Adrianne Allen, Cary Grant, Richard ‘Skeets’ Gallagher, Florence Britton, Esther Howard, George Irving, Kent Taylor

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This colorized version of Merrily We Go to Hell reveals the glamorous party scenes, the elegant Chicago society settings, and the stark emotional devastation with vivid, atmospherically rich new detail. The original black and white photography captured the film’s sophisticated atmosphere and Arzner’s precise visual storytelling, but the professionally colorized restoration adds powerfully heightened depth — revealing the warm amber glow and sparkling crystal of lavish cocktail parties, the fashionable jewel tones of Joan’s expensive wardrobe that becomes increasingly meaningless as her marriage crumbles, the cold, clinical white of the hospital room where the film reaches its shattering climax, and the dark, smoky atmosphere of the speakeasies where Jerry drinks his talent and marriage away — all rendered with meticulous frame-by-frame precision. Now also available in colour.

Buy Merrily We Go to Hell in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

Merrily We Go to Hell is a classic film directed by Dorothy Arzner, one of the only female directors working in the Hollywood studio system during its entire Golden Age — a remarkable, groundbreaking woman who directed films at Paramount for over a decade and whose work has been championed by feminist film scholars as among the most psychologically acute and emotionally honest of the pre-Code era. The film is remarkably, almost shockingly frank in its depiction of alcoholism as a genuine, devastating disease rather than a charming character flaw, and its unflinching examination of marital infidelity, open marriage, codependency, and the systematic destruction of a woman’s autonomy and self-respect through devotion to an addict was decades ahead of its time. Fredric March, fresh from his Academy Award-winning turn in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, delivers one of his most complex and morally ambiguous performances, and Sylvia Sidney — one of the most underrated actresses of her era — creates a portrait of a woman’s gradual emotional devastation that remains almost painfully authentic. A young Cary Grant appears in a memorable supporting role years before his breakthrough. The restored colorized version allows modern audiences to watch this groundbreaking, courageously honest pre-Code drama with the visual sophistication its elegant settings and powerful performances deserve.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 78 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is this a pre-Code film?
A: Yes. Merrily We Go to Hell was made before the enforcement of the Production Code and deals with remarkable honesty and courage with alcoholism, infidelity, open marriage, and codependency — subjects that would be strictly forbidden on screen just two years later.

Q: Is this the colorized version of the full film?
A: Yes, this is the complete 78-minute feature, professionally colorized frame-by-frame from the restored original.

Q: Who was Dorothy Arzner?
A: Arzner was one of only a tiny handful of female directors who worked consistently in the Hollywood studio system during its Golden Age — a pioneering filmmaker whose psychologically nuanced, emotionally honest work has been rediscovered and celebrated by modern film scholars.

Q: Is Cary Grant in this?
A: Yes — a young Cary Grant appears in a supporting role, radiating the charm and screen magnetism that would make him one of cinema’s biggest stars just a few years later.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: DRM-free MP4, compatible with virtually any device or media player.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: €15.00 for instant download. The colorization process ensures every scene looks stunning in color.

Q: Can I watch on multiple devices?
A: Absolutely. The file is DRM-free, so you can watch on your TV, tablet, phone, or computer.

Related Colorized Classics

• Ladies of Leisure (1930)
• The Bride Wore Red (1937)
• Arch of Triumph (1948)
• Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
• The Valley of Decision (1945)