I was fortunate enough to find this movie thanks to YouTube. It was nice to see an early twenty-something Barbara Stanwyck in not only her first talkie but her first leading role in a film. Barbara was extremely young here with hints of the talent she would develop further on into her career.
"The Locked Door" (1929) isn't a perfect film. Like a lot of early talkies, this film suffered from the transition of silent films to talkies. Some of the dialogue was hard to understand. I'm not sure if that is due to the sound equipment being used at the time or just the copy I had of the movie. The picture wasn't great either but I'll give the benefit of the doubt since this movie is ninety years old. The year 1929 was an awkward stage for film at the time. Silent films were still around but would go obsolete by the following year. The film industry was still trying to grasp how to master the art of this new medium - sound. However, it was nice to get a glimpse at a movie made and set towards the end of the Roaring Twenties. I've always wondered how the film industry was able to get away with portraying alcoholism and drinking during Prohibition.
I was shocked by the way Frank, played by glamorous leading man Rod La Rocque, treated the waiter at the beginning. Having worked in the food service industry, I kept thinking, "Jeez! Treat the waiting staff with respect!"
The secretary, played by Zasu Pitts, had to be my favorite character and role in the movie. She had some of the best lines, I swear.
I felt the ending was abrupt and very open-ended. Nonetheless, "The Locked Door" was still worth the watch just to see Barbara Stanwyck's first talkie appearance and watch a film made during an evolving period in cinema.
"The Locked Door" (1929) isn't a perfect film. Like a lot of early talkies, this film suffered from the transition of silent films to talkies. Some of the dialogue was hard to understand. I'm not sure if that is due to the sound equipment being used at the time or just the copy I had of the movie. The picture wasn't great either but I'll give the benefit of the doubt since this movie is ninety years old. The year 1929 was an awkward stage for film at the time. Silent films were still around but would go obsolete by the following year. The film industry was still trying to grasp how to master the art of this new medium - sound. However, it was nice to get a glimpse at a movie made and set towards the end of the Roaring Twenties. I've always wondered how the film industry was able to get away with portraying alcoholism and drinking during Prohibition.
I was shocked by the way Frank, played by glamorous leading man Rod La Rocque, treated the waiter at the beginning. Having worked in the food service industry, I kept thinking, "Jeez! Treat the waiting staff with respect!"
The secretary, played by Zasu Pitts, had to be my favorite character and role in the movie. She had some of the best lines, I swear.
I felt the ending was abrupt and very open-ended. Nonetheless, "The Locked Door" was still worth the watch just to see Barbara Stanwyck's first talkie appearance and watch a film made during an evolving period in cinema.