quiet_curiosity (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
quiet_curiosity) wrote2010-09-20 10:50 pm
quiet_curiosity) wrote2010-09-20 10:50 pm
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Lady of the Night (1925)
Summary: Two look-alike young women, separated by class and opportunity, fall in love with the same man.
Stars: Norma Shearer, Malcolm McGregor, Dale Fuller, George K. Arthur, Fred Esmelton, Lew Harvey, Gwen Lee
Director: Monta Bell
Viewed Via: TCM/DVR
Current Commercial Availability: Warner Archive DVD-R Program
1) Shearer does a pretty good job with her dual role. On one hand, Molly (the daughter of the thief) is the better role. She is much more fleshed out and she get's a ton more screen time. Here, Shearer ably navigates the realm between street-wise tough girl and vulnerable lover. She's so affectingly sad as she wanders through David's apartment. At the same time, the beginning sets her up as the girl you do not fuck with. It's not a side Shearer often showed the audience.
However, Florence (daughter of the judge) isn't a poor character. She doesn't have the broad emotional terrain to navigate (nor does she have to make the same kind of sacrifices) that Molly has deal with, but she has just enough bits to make her worthwhile. I love the little moments where she tries to stretch outside of the virginal, good girl persona. She watches her friend make out the man with eager eyes. It's something she wants...eventually.
2) The male roles are ho-hum. Malcolm McGregor is attractively bland as David, the inventor that the girls fall for. George K. Arthur has a bit more to work with as Chunky Dunn (get that name!), the dandy who only has eyes for Molly.
3) The resolution to our various love triangles...ehhhhhhhh. Molly decides to forfeit, giving victory to the horny virgin, and lies to David about ever feeling anything like love for him.
On one hand, Molly really helped inspire David and he just seems ungrateful to drop her once a more upwardly mobile version of her comes on to the scene. One almost feels like our main heroine deserves more than the back-up boyfriend who couldn't defend her when she needed it. At the same time, is that man she deserves really David? He doesn't "love" her and he seems remarkably dim to her very obvious overtures of affection toward him.
On the other, the back-up boyfriend is certainly sweet on her and showed a great deal of patience with her as she made her "choice". And they do laugh together quite a bit. You're left feeling that they'll be fine even if this isn't a perfect love match.
4) Shearer's clothes here are really something else. They vaguely reminded me of pieces of Joan Crawford's wardrobe from Rain. They're the kind of clothes that scream bad/tacky girl.
5) And, trivia: who would happen to be Shearer's body double during the scenes where to twins are together? Lucille LeSeur. You don't really see the future Joan Crawford's face and she didn't get a credit for the film. Crawford pretty much wanted Shearer's career and this is perhaps where it started.
Overall, it was fine. It is Norma Shearer's performance that holds the whole thing together.
Stars: Norma Shearer, Malcolm McGregor, Dale Fuller, George K. Arthur, Fred Esmelton, Lew Harvey, Gwen Lee
Director: Monta Bell
Viewed Via: TCM/DVR
Current Commercial Availability: Warner Archive DVD-R Program
1) Shearer does a pretty good job with her dual role. On one hand, Molly (the daughter of the thief) is the better role. She is much more fleshed out and she get's a ton more screen time. Here, Shearer ably navigates the realm between street-wise tough girl and vulnerable lover. She's so affectingly sad as she wanders through David's apartment. At the same time, the beginning sets her up as the girl you do not fuck with. It's not a side Shearer often showed the audience.
However, Florence (daughter of the judge) isn't a poor character. She doesn't have the broad emotional terrain to navigate (nor does she have to make the same kind of sacrifices) that Molly has deal with, but she has just enough bits to make her worthwhile. I love the little moments where she tries to stretch outside of the virginal, good girl persona. She watches her friend make out the man with eager eyes. It's something she wants...eventually.
2) The male roles are ho-hum. Malcolm McGregor is attractively bland as David, the inventor that the girls fall for. George K. Arthur has a bit more to work with as Chunky Dunn (get that name!), the dandy who only has eyes for Molly.
3) The resolution to our various love triangles...ehhhhhhhh. Molly decides to forfeit, giving victory to the horny virgin, and lies to David about ever feeling anything like love for him.
On one hand, Molly really helped inspire David and he just seems ungrateful to drop her once a more upwardly mobile version of her comes on to the scene. One almost feels like our main heroine deserves more than the back-up boyfriend who couldn't defend her when she needed it. At the same time, is that man she deserves really David? He doesn't "love" her and he seems remarkably dim to her very obvious overtures of affection toward him.
On the other, the back-up boyfriend is certainly sweet on her and showed a great deal of patience with her as she made her "choice". And they do laugh together quite a bit. You're left feeling that they'll be fine even if this isn't a perfect love match.
4) Shearer's clothes here are really something else. They vaguely reminded me of pieces of Joan Crawford's wardrobe from Rain. They're the kind of clothes that scream bad/tacky girl.
5) And, trivia: who would happen to be Shearer's body double during the scenes where to twins are together? Lucille LeSeur. You don't really see the future Joan Crawford's face and she didn't get a credit for the film. Crawford pretty much wanted Shearer's career and this is perhaps where it started.
Overall, it was fine. It is Norma Shearer's performance that holds the whole thing together.