Dorothy MacKaill kills the man who raped her and turned her to a life of prostitution. Sailor Donald Cook loves her and believes her. With the police close on her heels, he stows her away aboardship and smuggles her to a Caribbean island with no extradition treaty with the US, marries her as well as he can with no clergy, and leaves her in a hotel to await his return. But the hotel is filled with leering men who are wanted criminals in their own country, and she is the only White woman on the island.
For decades, this was only available in copies derived from 16mm prints. The copy that played today on Turner Classic Movies is restored from a 35mm copy, and while still slightly soft, is a lot clearer and cleaner than it has been in decade.
When I refer to cleanliness, I'm writing about the print. This is a pre-code movie directed by William Wellman, so there's a lot of grotesquerie in it. That's because Miss MacKaill is not only the protagonist, she's the point-of-view character, and her weary, uncertain efforts at redemption are the issue of the movie. The only admirable White characters are Cook, who seems naively in love; and in a rare turn as a good guy, Charles Middleton as her defense attorney. All the other White men -- and there are no White women in the film -- are venal, slovenly and/or lustful. Nina Mae McKinney as the hotel operator and Clarence Muse as the porter are cynical but ultimately decent people, in fine, rare dramatic roles in major productions.
For decades, this was only available in copies derived from 16mm prints. The copy that played today on Turner Classic Movies is restored from a 35mm copy, and while still slightly soft, is a lot clearer and cleaner than it has been in decade.
When I refer to cleanliness, I'm writing about the print. This is a pre-code movie directed by William Wellman, so there's a lot of grotesquerie in it. That's because Miss MacKaill is not only the protagonist, she's the point-of-view character, and her weary, uncertain efforts at redemption are the issue of the movie. The only admirable White characters are Cook, who seems naively in love; and in a rare turn as a good guy, Charles Middleton as her defense attorney. All the other White men -- and there are no White women in the film -- are venal, slovenly and/or lustful. Nina Mae McKinney as the hotel operator and Clarence Muse as the porter are cynical but ultimately decent people, in fine, rare dramatic roles in major productions.