"I'm so bored I could scream!", I remember Kay Francis declaring in one of her movies. I too would be bored if I had to look at Clive Brook at the dining table day in and day out for years. Perhaps magnetic on stage, Brook had to play a drunk to become interesting, and Kay Francis seems willing to take that if it livens up their farce of a marriage. This, as the title suggests, takes place over a 24 hour period, in which time Brook admits to his wife that their marriage is a sham, goes out for a drunken walk, witnesses a murder which is never solved, and visits his cafe singer mistress (Miriam Hopkins) only to find himself charged with her murder. In the meantime, Francis goes out with her more exciting lover, confesses that she loves her boring husband over him, and finds herself more in love when her love for Brook finds herself willing to give up any happiness if he remains drunk for the remainder of their time together.
What starts off as an ordinary drawing room melodrama becomes exciting once Miriam Hopkins comes into the scene. Had there been supporting acting Oscars in 1931, she would have been a top candidate for that award. Unlike later films where she went completely overboard in her acting, Hopkins is someone you really root for here, whether singing a torch song to a crowd of drunken old men or fighting with her estranged husband (Regis Toomey in one of his better performances) or comforting Brook whom she obviously has fallen in love with. Her time on screen, pretty much the entire middle of the film, is filled with sparkle, and her sudden end comes in a shocking and most creatively filmed way. Toomey gets the other big dramatic scene here with veteran silent actress Lucille La Verne as a character Hope Emerson might have played in the 1950's. "Yeah, I'll bring you something back really hot", she says when he demands some food from her. The sinister look on her face is almost devilish, making her five minutes on screen simply unforgettable.
Decked out in gorgeous gowns and looking ravishing, Kay Francis doesn't get the opportunities of her future "Trouble in Paradise" co-star Miriam Hopkins to develop her character, but she makes the material she has stand out by her magnetic presence. Her final speech towards Brook left me with a mixed reaction as I felt that no woman in any era could put up with the drunken mood swings of the melancholy character that Brook plays. He's one of those "stiff upper lip" British actors that I question being cast in leads, but it's perfect for a marital drama about boredom and sin and atonement. Paramount put out all the stops in this lavishly made film with terrific art decco sets, moody photography and some interesting characterizations.
What starts off as an ordinary drawing room melodrama becomes exciting once Miriam Hopkins comes into the scene. Had there been supporting acting Oscars in 1931, she would have been a top candidate for that award. Unlike later films where she went completely overboard in her acting, Hopkins is someone you really root for here, whether singing a torch song to a crowd of drunken old men or fighting with her estranged husband (Regis Toomey in one of his better performances) or comforting Brook whom she obviously has fallen in love with. Her time on screen, pretty much the entire middle of the film, is filled with sparkle, and her sudden end comes in a shocking and most creatively filmed way. Toomey gets the other big dramatic scene here with veteran silent actress Lucille La Verne as a character Hope Emerson might have played in the 1950's. "Yeah, I'll bring you something back really hot", she says when he demands some food from her. The sinister look on her face is almost devilish, making her five minutes on screen simply unforgettable.
Decked out in gorgeous gowns and looking ravishing, Kay Francis doesn't get the opportunities of her future "Trouble in Paradise" co-star Miriam Hopkins to develop her character, but she makes the material she has stand out by her magnetic presence. Her final speech towards Brook left me with a mixed reaction as I felt that no woman in any era could put up with the drunken mood swings of the melancholy character that Brook plays. He's one of those "stiff upper lip" British actors that I question being cast in leads, but it's perfect for a marital drama about boredom and sin and atonement. Paramount put out all the stops in this lavishly made film with terrific art decco sets, moody photography and some interesting characterizations.