TCM has been playing a lot of Loretta Young films lately, and I've enjoyed many of them while dismissing a few. This is one of the best.
You may think you've seen a similar story before, and you probably have if you like old movies. But I think this is one of the earliest of this type of plot -- a young English barrister may become Attorney General, but his wife is blackmailed about his past...which she keeps a secret. While giving the blackmailer his money and retrieving incriminating letters, she becomes a witness who could save another man from being convicted of an unrelated murder. Of course, it is her husband that is trying the case! Unlike most 1930s mysteries, this one has some pretty sophisticated plot twists, although I didn't care for the final plot twist...though it didn't detract from the film.
Loretta Young is beautiful and superb in her acting here. Kudos to her playing the young wife who is torn between her husband's career and saving an innocent man. The husband is played by Franchot Tone -- an actor that had his ups and downs -- this is one of the "ups". Again, kudos. The rest of the cast isn't particularly memorable, although they do their jobs. Most notable perhaps are Lewis Stone and Roland Young, although they aren't given much to do of any importance during the first half of the film...but then become critical to the story in the second half.
I liked this film and highly recommend it!
You may think you've seen a similar story before, and you probably have if you like old movies. But I think this is one of the earliest of this type of plot -- a young English barrister may become Attorney General, but his wife is blackmailed about his past...which she keeps a secret. While giving the blackmailer his money and retrieving incriminating letters, she becomes a witness who could save another man from being convicted of an unrelated murder. Of course, it is her husband that is trying the case! Unlike most 1930s mysteries, this one has some pretty sophisticated plot twists, although I didn't care for the final plot twist...though it didn't detract from the film.
Loretta Young is beautiful and superb in her acting here. Kudos to her playing the young wife who is torn between her husband's career and saving an innocent man. The husband is played by Franchot Tone -- an actor that had his ups and downs -- this is one of the "ups". Again, kudos. The rest of the cast isn't particularly memorable, although they do their jobs. Most notable perhaps are Lewis Stone and Roland Young, although they aren't given much to do of any importance during the first half of the film...but then become critical to the story in the second half.
I liked this film and highly recommend it!