Starring Janet Gaynor, once known as "the World's Sweetheart" (and a sweetheart she was - it's easy to see why audiences loved her), this is one of eleven (some say 12 - I didn't take time to check) films in which she was teamed with Charles Farrell, a matinée idol of the late 1920s and early 1930s. I first encountered him in my youth as Gale Storm's gray-haired widower dad in the television series, My Little Margie (1952). When I later saw him in one of his early movies, I couldn't believe it was the same guy.
Besides its attractive stars, for me there were two other stars of this film. 1. The deep focus photography. 2. The irregular, expansive sets, reminiscent of those I've seen in several films from the German Expressionist era. No shooting location is given, so presumably they were constructed in a Hollywood studio. ("On a Hollywood sound stage" would not be the proper phrase to use here, would it?)
There are a few parts of this film I could question, but why bother? This film is good enough for them to be overlooked. One thing I will say, though, is that along with the Neapolitan /poliziotto/, I was growing impatient during the drawn-out (but temporary) farewell scene. As one who's been lovestruck a few times in my life, however, I could easily empathize with Gino's (Farrell's character's) amatory behavior. Indeed, the title cards during that scene read like opera surtitles.
Besides its attractive stars, for me there were two other stars of this film. 1. The deep focus photography. 2. The irregular, expansive sets, reminiscent of those I've seen in several films from the German Expressionist era. No shooting location is given, so presumably they were constructed in a Hollywood studio. ("On a Hollywood sound stage" would not be the proper phrase to use here, would it?)
There are a few parts of this film I could question, but why bother? This film is good enough for them to be overlooked. One thing I will say, though, is that along with the Neapolitan /poliziotto/, I was growing impatient during the drawn-out (but temporary) farewell scene. As one who's been lovestruck a few times in my life, however, I could easily empathize with Gino's (Farrell's character's) amatory behavior. Indeed, the title cards during that scene read like opera surtitles.