I don't think anybody in Hollywood history ever considered Alan Mowbray a sex symbol of any means, but in this pre-code drama, he is the lecherous lothario who has set his sights on best friend Lionel Barrymore's daughter Madge Evans and has manipulated her into becoming engaged to him. She's a young innocent, and I found it hard to believe that she would choose portly Mowbray over the dashing William Bakewell who is in love with her. Mowbray has jilted the glamorous Kay Francis in favor of Evans, and at a dinner party celebrating the engagement, Barrymore lets on that he approves, while underneath as both a well respected attorney for the defense and the prosecution he is plotting to kill Mowbray and get away with it. When he sees a possible motive for murder with the furiously jealous Kay Francis, he sets into motion the opportunity to blame her for Mowbray's murder, but just as everything seems to be going off as planned, shocking twists turn his scheme around, leading the way to a stunning conclusion.
Having defended his daughter Norma Shearer for a murder he committed in "A Free Soul", Barrymore now takes on a more scheming fatherly role here and is captivating. Many of his later performances were more hammy in nature than his famous profile brother John Barrymore, but here, Barrymore is excellent, especially as he harasses Francis with the ideas of how he will prosecute her and have it appear as if she was the guilty party. Mowbray, a delightful mustache twirler, definitely deserves to face the wrath of some poor girl's father, so the tension is thick as Barrymore stalks his prey. This is without a doubt an extremely dated and stagy story, but fills the screen with some delightfully melodramatic performances, including Francis in one of her best before she went onto become Hollywood's most long suffering mother. Even with a sincere performance, I just never could believe Evans' fawning over Mowbray and even threatening to run away with him if Barrymore didn't accept her decision. With all these deficiencies, the film still remains a completely exciting glimpse into a world of perversion that just a few years later would not be able to be done or even re-released without some major editing.
Having defended his daughter Norma Shearer for a murder he committed in "A Free Soul", Barrymore now takes on a more scheming fatherly role here and is captivating. Many of his later performances were more hammy in nature than his famous profile brother John Barrymore, but here, Barrymore is excellent, especially as he harasses Francis with the ideas of how he will prosecute her and have it appear as if she was the guilty party. Mowbray, a delightful mustache twirler, definitely deserves to face the wrath of some poor girl's father, so the tension is thick as Barrymore stalks his prey. This is without a doubt an extremely dated and stagy story, but fills the screen with some delightfully melodramatic performances, including Francis in one of her best before she went onto become Hollywood's most long suffering mother. Even with a sincere performance, I just never could believe Evans' fawning over Mowbray and even threatening to run away with him if Barrymore didn't accept her decision. With all these deficiencies, the film still remains a completely exciting glimpse into a world of perversion that just a few years later would not be able to be done or even re-released without some major editing.