ironhorse_iv Review of Marked Woman

Marked Woman (1937)

The Marked Woman is right on the mark. Its a great crime melodrama.

[7/10 · 12 April 2014]

1937's Marked Woman shouldn't get confused with the 1914 film with a similar concept. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, the movie is one of those Warner, 'Hot off the presses' type stories. Just a year ago in 1936, New York District Attorney and future presidential nominee, Thomas E. Dewey became a national celebrity when he was able to indict and convicted gangster Charles 'Lucky' Luciano. Dewey was able to put Lucky Luciano away, because he used the testimony of numerous call girls to convict Lucky of running one of the largest prostitution rings in American history. Dewey's dramatic achievements led many Hollywood film studios to make several films about him. Marked Woman is one of the most famous one. Since the events were still flesh at the time, and they couldn't get all the rights of the trial. Warner instead, make alterations in the story, such as changing characters names and events. They also ran into problem with censorship, so they change the call girls into "nightclub or clip-joint hostess" which kinda hurts the film. The movie even has a disclaimer at the beginning of the film that asserts that the story is fictitious, so people don't mistake it for the real thing. I think this disclaimer really hurts the movie. It's like saying, don't get invested, because it's not real. Plus, I don't think the audience is that dumb that they can't tell the different between a film and real life. Marked Woman is about Mary Dwight Stauber (Bette Davis), a nightclub hostess who works for the notorious gangster Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli). She witness a murder, and soon questioned by prosecutor David Graham (Humphrey Bogart). Rather than telling him, the truth, she and the other women refuse to implicate Vanning due to fear of his retributions. It wasn't until, Mary's younger sister Betty (Jane Bryan) was killed and Mary was beaten by his thugs, scarred and disfigured that she agrees to testify against the gangster. Can she find the strength to stand against Vanning or will she be silence by him? I have to say, Bette Davis is just alright in this role. Her character seem a little bit pushy to be realistic in fear of Vanning. Honestly, if a woman was that open to sass Vanning even at the first meeting and later in some scenes, threated. She wouldn't be around. I don't buy her, living in fear. Honestly, Bette Davis works best is the feisty type role that later help her career. This role was one of Davis' most important early pictures as Davis filed a lawsuit against Warners Picture, a few years ago, due to getting low-grade quality of scripts she was expected to play. She challenge the studio, by threating to walk out of her contract and go to England to make pictures. She lost the lawsuit and forced to honor her deal. She did garnered considerable press coverage, and Marked Woman was the first script she filmed upon returning to Hollywood. When you think about it, the role of Mary wasn't so far off from her real life as Davis love voicing her opinion. Bette Davis was often credit for making a new kind of screen heroine. In the 1930s, women in gangster films were usually either molls or prey upon. They rarely, if ever, were heroines who stood up in a big way against the system that abused them. Bette Davis's roles, make her be view as feminism icon. She was also somewhat of movie diva that would often bump heads with co-stars or directors. A good example of this, is the story about Davis was in made-up for the scene in the hospital room. She was unhappy with the minimal bandaging that had been used, so on her lunch break she drove to her personal doctor, and had him bandage her accordingly. When she returned to the studio, a guard at the gate saw her bandages and called help thinking Davis had been in an accident. She really took this role, very seriously. The supporting cast are great, too. Jane Bryan gives a more than credible performance as Mary's fresh faced, younger sister. Eduardo Ciannelli with his authentic Italian accent is aptly sinister and a young Humphrey Bogart is terrific as the prosecutor. Even minor star like Lola Lane was gritty, warm, seasoned in her singing of alright songs "Mr. & Mrs. Doakes" & "Silver Dollar Man". While, the movie does have violence toward both men & women. Most of the events featuring these are off-screen. It's still pretty creepy. The only thing is the movie is call, 'Marked Woman' and the "the mark" isn't revealed until the film is almost over. It's a bit odd for squeaky clean kid, Betty to blow into town, and find out what pay her tuitions. Still, I don't know why she would act like Mary in the end, when she clearly stand out, a few minutes, she doesn't want to be like her. Her role seem out of place. The Bacon's themes are so clichés by the time of this movie, such as relations across class lines, stairs being a weapon, woman having secret lives and the man from out-of-town is pretending to be rich. At least the film did do something major by showing the criminal world from the perspective of the victimized female- something rare for the day. Marked Woman Warner's DVD does a good job transfer. There are little gloomy grainy specks and scratches, but that's to be expected in a vintage 1930s film. The original mono audio has been well scrubbed by Warner technicians, who have erased any annoying pops and crackles, and left us with a workable track. Dialogue is always clear and easy to understand, the music sounds robust, and only very sensitive ears will be able to detect the slight bit of hiss that remains. Overall: Without a doubt, it's one of Bette Davis' best films.