Review of Accused

Accused (1936)
5/10
The French, They Are So Very English
6 March 2017
It's the day before the opening of the show in Paris, and star Florence Desmond wants specialty dancer Douglas Fairbanks Junior to come to her home that night. Fairbanks says no. He is in love with Dolores Del Rio, his dance partner and wife. The show's backer talks Fairbanks into doing so, and Dolores goes off with showgirl Googie Withers. A mysterious stranger visits Desmond and demands money. She throws it at him and he stoops to pick it up. The next morning, Fairbanks and Del Rio meet in their apartment, and realize nothing has happened. It is at that point that the police arrive and arrest Miss Del Rio. Miss Desmond has been murdered with Miss Del Rio's prop knife and she is ACCUSED!

The first half of this movie is pretty good, with a typically over-the-top British production number and a gypsy/Apache dance faked by Fairbanks and Del Rio. It was produced in England, with a large American component; not just the leads, but director Thorton Freeland, who was spending a few years directing in Blighty, and the script is co-written by Zoe Akins. Although the performances are fine, liberties are taken with French jurisprudence, and there are the usual startling coincidences and uncaring flics. However, the fine performances makes this watchable, if not terribly good by the final clinch.
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