“The Divorcee” (1930) is seen as one of the most important films of the Pre-Code era and it still surprises with the force and courage with which Norma Shearer’s character acts in it. The story of a strong, risqué woman who rebels against the patriarchal ideal of a virtuous wife while the husband is free to have affairs without tarnishing his reputation and hence confronting the hypocrisy of the double standard promoted feminism long before the term was used and made Norma Shearer (along with her other pre-code movies) almost a feminist pioneer. Based on the novel “Ex-Wife” by Ursula Parrott, it was highly controversial back in the day and ended up getting Norma Shearer her Best Actress Oscar for it. The film had a total of four Academy Award nominations including Best Film
