First talking version of a great tearjerker. Jacqueline Floriot (Ruth Chatterton) deserts her husband (Lewis Stone) and their little boy. She soon realizes she should never have left them but her husband rejects her and tells their son that she had died. Years go by and she gets involved in drugs, alcoholism and is a wreck. She murders a man who finds out about her past because it would ruin her husband. She is put on trial and is defended by a young lawyer who is her son!
There are three versions of this that I've seen--this 1929 one, a 1937 one with Gladys George and a 1960s one with Lana Turner. The Turner one was glossy but unmemorable. The 1937 one is superb--short but wonderful with George giving an Oscar worthy performance. This one is terrible. Stagy and with such mournful melodramatic acting that you'll be laughing. I don't care that is was nominated for Best Direction and Best Actress--it's bad all around. The direction was uninspired at best and Chatterton overacts so much I felt like laughing. Terrible script. Also the big trial scene at the end had me laughing. It was SO overdone! Bad sound recording too. Skip this one.
There are three versions of this that I've seen--this 1929 one, a 1937 one with Gladys George and a 1960s one with Lana Turner. The Turner one was glossy but unmemorable. The 1937 one is superb--short but wonderful with George giving an Oscar worthy performance. This one is terrible. Stagy and with such mournful melodramatic acting that you'll be laughing. I don't care that is was nominated for Best Direction and Best Actress--it's bad all around. The direction was uninspired at best and Chatterton overacts so much I felt like laughing. Terrible script. Also the big trial scene at the end had me laughing. It was SO overdone! Bad sound recording too. Skip this one.