Mamoulian's brilliance has been noted here and elsewhere - and properly so. But it should not obscure the poignant, sensitive and altogether touching performance of Helen Morgan. Best known for her singing, Morgan revealed in a number of films that she was a better actress than she was a singer. Here, as in "Show Boat" and "Go Into Your Dance," among others, she plays a woman whom life has mishandled: not quite reputable, doing what she must to hold her life together, seemingly tough on the outside but vulnerable to the wrong kind of man. If her best performances were of a type, she wasn't the first performer to achieve success by doing one thing well.
While it's doubtful if anyone would remember this picture if not for Mamoulian's creativity, Helen Morgan's marvelous contribution should not be overlooked.
While it's doubtful if anyone would remember this picture if not for Mamoulian's creativity, Helen Morgan's marvelous contribution should not be overlooked.