Although the only copy seems to be a horribly degraded print on YouTube, it's still worth watching. It's an intelligent and mature, well acted study of the sexism and snobbery which pervaded society in the late twenties. Ruth Chatterton gives an outstanding and inspiring performance which is unusually natural for such an early film.
Clive Brook plays a member of the social elite, he finds himself unexpectedly married to Chatterton's character who might now be called a cheap tart. He thinks he's helping her out of the gutter, she's not too sure. Her suspicions are correct - the social inequality of this impossible mismatch is subtly and skilfully conveyed in Dorothy Arzner's fifth talkie.
Like most of her pictures, this shines a vivid arc light on the unfair attitudes towards women but also on the snobbery of the time. Dozens of films from this period tackled the subject of social injustice but most resorted to sensationalist melodrama, usually with a 'tart with a heart of gold' type being used and abused by an evil moustache twirling villain. Here the rich man in his castle is just as damaged and vulnerable as the poor girl at his gate. Clive Brook's character may seem absurdly pompous by today's standards but he reflected what the upper echelons of society were really like. Since people like that don't exist anymore it's difficult to relate to him but even so, we do develop some emotional empathy for him.
On several occasions, some of Brook's friends try to grope and kiss his new wife but Brook
is completely unable to understand that a "woman like that" could possibly be insulted by such behaviour, They were gentlemen after all. Although she's his wife, she's still just a cheap 'showgirl', that's how you treat such people. "What on earth is wrong with the woman?" His typical for the time attitude that "women like that" cannot have the same sensitivity or respect that "decent women" have is cleverly challenged in this. Although directed by proto-feminist Dorothy Arzner and written by one of her favourite female writers, the great Zoe Akins (who was responsible for many fabulous pictures in the thirties - not just HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE) and even edited by a woman, the film does not present the gentleman as monsters - they're just the way people were and in this film they're actually treated quite sympathetically. Very refreshing.
But it's not all feminist and working class indignation. It's actually an enjoyable story about love blossoming in the most unlikely of circumstances. It's quite unique in that aspect so well worth worth watching - despite to poor YouTube quality.
