"By the way, has anyone here heard about The Depression?

Arzner's wisecracks and gleeful pre-code debauchery slowly morph into heart-wrenching authenticity. Her humanistic touch is present in every scene, particularly in its treatment of alcoholism and its cruel repercussions. When Classical Hollywood overtly touched on addiction, it tended to be with overbearing strokes of ridiculousness (see: Ray Milland's awful and Oscar-winning performance in The Lost Weekend). Yet Merrily We Go to Hell is a whole other entity. Bleakness is blanketed…