Seeing films made in the 1930's are ofttimes interesting glances back at social history and how much things have changed over the years.
This black and white film reminded me a bit of "Stella Dallas", where Barbara Stanwyck lost her daughter, due mainly to Stella's "bad taste" in clothes.
In "Confession", Vera Kowalska (Kay Francis)loses her daughter due to a moment of indiscretion, where she drank too much champagne at a party and was taken by a rake, Michael(Basil Rathbone), back to his apartment, where she awakens the following morning - her make-up perfect, without a hair out of place, her evening gown likewise, and Michael nowhere in sight.
Nonetheless in those days that apparently was all it took for a woman's reputation to be ruined forever.
Vera's husband, Leonide Kirow(Ian Hunter) takes their baby daughter and Vera doesn't even get visitation rights. In fact, he marries again and the little girl is told nothing and believes the step-mother to be her biological mother.
Michael, the rake, an extraordinary pianist, goes on his merry way seducing more "innocent" women. Eventually he begins to work his charms on a young woman named Lisa (Jane Bayan), who lives at home with her widowed mother.
Lisa, although looking to be in her early twenties, is apparently a very sheltered young woman. I think we are told that she has never even been out on a date with a man prior to Michael. This is apparently the normal course for young, unmarried ladies in those times--they lived chastely at home and went nowhere unless properly escorted, and perhaps even chaperoned.
Except for a few passionate kisses, nothing else occurs between Lisa and Michael, but they are sneaking around and Lisa is careful to keep her romance with Michael a secret from her mother--who was out of town when the romance began.
Lisa is a strange young woman, apparently very repressed, she does quite a lot of staring blankly and saying very little.
One evening Michael takes Jane to a nightclub/restaurant. There is a cabaret singer there and when she sees Michael kissing Lisa, it leads to tragedy.
A trial takes place, and the woman on trial at first will say nothing but eventually says she will tell them why she killed, but only if the courtroom is cleared, as what she has to say is of a 'far too delicate nature' for the ears of but a few.
Needless to say, this "shocking" testimony is far from shocking by today's standards, and it's hard to believe it was even THAT shocking then.
6 stars.
This black and white film reminded me a bit of "Stella Dallas", where Barbara Stanwyck lost her daughter, due mainly to Stella's "bad taste" in clothes.
In "Confession", Vera Kowalska (Kay Francis)loses her daughter due to a moment of indiscretion, where she drank too much champagne at a party and was taken by a rake, Michael(Basil Rathbone), back to his apartment, where she awakens the following morning - her make-up perfect, without a hair out of place, her evening gown likewise, and Michael nowhere in sight.
Nonetheless in those days that apparently was all it took for a woman's reputation to be ruined forever.
Vera's husband, Leonide Kirow(Ian Hunter) takes their baby daughter and Vera doesn't even get visitation rights. In fact, he marries again and the little girl is told nothing and believes the step-mother to be her biological mother.
Michael, the rake, an extraordinary pianist, goes on his merry way seducing more "innocent" women. Eventually he begins to work his charms on a young woman named Lisa (Jane Bayan), who lives at home with her widowed mother.
Lisa, although looking to be in her early twenties, is apparently a very sheltered young woman. I think we are told that she has never even been out on a date with a man prior to Michael. This is apparently the normal course for young, unmarried ladies in those times--they lived chastely at home and went nowhere unless properly escorted, and perhaps even chaperoned.
Except for a few passionate kisses, nothing else occurs between Lisa and Michael, but they are sneaking around and Lisa is careful to keep her romance with Michael a secret from her mother--who was out of town when the romance began.
Lisa is a strange young woman, apparently very repressed, she does quite a lot of staring blankly and saying very little.
One evening Michael takes Jane to a nightclub/restaurant. There is a cabaret singer there and when she sees Michael kissing Lisa, it leads to tragedy.
A trial takes place, and the woman on trial at first will say nothing but eventually says she will tell them why she killed, but only if the courtroom is cleared, as what she has to say is of a 'far too delicate nature' for the ears of but a few.
Needless to say, this "shocking" testimony is far from shocking by today's standards, and it's hard to believe it was even THAT shocking then.
6 stars.