Betty Compson stars in this talkie remake of the 1923 silent version she also starred in.
Compson plays a famous French cabaret star during World War I. She meets an English officer (George Barraud) and they plan to marry but he is whisked away to the front and never sees her again. He is wounded and suffers from amnesia. Years go by.
Next we see Barraud unhappily married to his brittle wife (Juliette Compton) who is a rapacious social climber. She refuses to have children. But she has imported a famous French singer for her society charity ball. Of course it's Compson who has trudged on with her career despite having a bad heart. Barraud sits and watches her act without much interest until she sings a certain song and his memory floods back. He then discovers she has had a child.
Will they reconcile and be happy with their child? Will the wife give up the husband and social position? Compson is terrific as the entertainer. She's believable on stage and also as the tragic heroine. Barraud is solid as the hapless man caught between the two women. Compton excels at playing the sharp and angular ice queen. The songs are forgettable but this is worth catching.
Betty Compson starred in an amazing nine films in 1929.
