This film recently appeared on TIME Magazine’s top 100 movies of all time list. It was an unusual choice because the film isn’t widely considered a classic. However, the simple tale works quite well and the provocative subject matter seems to jump off the screen with more daring just knowing the year in which it was made.
Lily Powers (Barbara Stanwyck, THE LADY EVE) is the daughter of a speakeasy owner, who pimps her out to his wealthy clients. After her father’s untimely death, Lily, along with her black friend Chico (Theresa Harris, OUT OF THE PAST), moves to the big city and sleeps her way to the top of a large bank. Her fling with the young executive Ned Stevens (Donald Cook, 1936’s SHOW BOAT) and then his boss J.P. Carter (Henry Kolker, HOLIDAY), who happens to be Stevens’ fiancee’s father, creates great scandal.
With the bank in trouble, the board brings in Courtland Trenholm (George Brent, DARK VICTORY), descendant of the bank’s founder, to improve the image of the firm. At first he seems to be the match for Lily, but when they meet again later in life, she seems to be up to no good again.
Key to the film’s success is the commanding performance from Stanwyck, who plays the conniving Lily perfectly. The film allows the character to slide down a morally slippery slope to an intriguing degree. The directness of Lily’s philandering seems truly bold for 1933.
So thought the censor board, which was created soon after the film was made. The film was banned from distribution. Originally Warner Bros. intended to reshoot some scenes to soften up the material, but the stars were not available. So Warner instead edited the film (which is obvious due to jarring editing in parts) and tacked on a redemption ending, which is really lame. The original ending was tragic and would have been more powerful. Upon watching the film one will be able to figure out what the original ending would have been and how much better the film would have ended. Sadly, the original version of the film is thought to be lost.
Despite the changes, Stanwyck’s natural performance is so fresh that it lifts the film to a truly compelling level. It goes to show how a simple story can be transformed into something very good with a skilled actor in the right role.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
