User Reviews

1937's Marked Woman shouldn't get confused with the 1914 film with a similar concept. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, the movie is one of those Warner, 'Hot off the presses' type stories. Just a year ago in 1936, New York District Attorney and future presidential nominee, Thomas E. Dewey became a national celebrity when he was able to indict and convicted gangster Charles 'Lucky' Luciano. Dewey was able to put Lucky Luciano away, because he used the testimony of numerous call girls to convict Lucky of running one of the largest prostitution rings in American history. Dewey's dramatic achievements led many Hollywood film studios to make several films about him. Marked Woman is one of the most famous one. Since the events were still flesh at the time, and they couldn't get all the rights of the trial. Warner instead, make alterations in the story, such as changing characters names and events. They also ran into problem with censorship, so they change the call girls into "nightclub or clip-joint hostess" which kinda hurts the film. The movie even has a disclaimer at the beginning of the film that asserts that the story is fictitious, so people don't mistake it for the real thing. I think this disclaimer really hurts the movie. It's like saying, don't get invested, because it's not real. Plus, I don't think the audience is that dumb that they can't tell the different between a film and real life. Marked Woman is about Mary Dwight Stauber (Bette Davis), a nightclub hostess who works for the notorious gangster Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli). She witness a murder, and soon questioned by prosecutor David Graham (Humphrey Bogart). Rather than telling him, the truth, she and the other women refuse to implicate Vanning due to fear of his retributions. It wasn't until, Mary's younger sister Betty (Jane Bryan) was killed and Mary was beaten by his thugs, scarred and disfigured that she agrees to testify against the gangster. Can she find the strength to stand against Vanning or will she be silence by him? I have to say, Bette Davis is just alright in this role. Her character seem a little bit pushy to be realistic in fear of Vanning. Honestly, if a woman was that open to sass Vanning even at the first meeting and later in some scenes, threated. She wouldn't be around. I don't buy her, living in fear. Honestly, Bette Davis works best is the feisty type role that later help her career. This role was one of Davis' most important early pictures as Davis filed a lawsuit against Warners Picture, a few years ago, due to getting low-grade quality of scripts she was expected to play. She challenge the studio, by threating to walk out of her contract and go to England to make pictures. She lost the lawsuit and forced to honor her deal. She did garnered considerable press coverage, and Marked Woman was the first script she filmed upon returning to Hollywood. When you think about it, the role of Mary wasn't so far off from her real life as Davis love voicing her opinion. Bette Davis was often credit for making a new kind of screen heroine. In the 1930s, women in gangster films were usually either molls or prey upon. They rarely, if ever, were heroines who stood up in a big way against the system that abused them. Bette Davis's roles, make her be view as feminism icon. She was also somewhat of movie diva that would often bump heads with co-stars or directors. A good example of this, is the story about Davis was in made-up for the scene in the hospital room. She was unhappy with the minimal bandaging that had been used, so on her lunch break she drove to her personal doctor, and had him bandage her accordingly. When she returned to the studio, a guard at the gate saw her bandages and called help thinking Davis had been in an accident. She really took this role, very seriously. The supporting cast are great, too. Jane Bryan gives a more than credible performance as Mary's fresh faced, younger sister. Eduardo Ciannelli with his authentic Italian accent is aptly sinister and a young Humphrey Bogart is terrific as the prosecutor. Even minor star like Lola Lane was gritty, warm, seasoned in her singing of alright songs "Mr. & Mrs. Doakes" & "Silver Dollar Man". While, the movie does have violence toward both men & women. Most of the events featuring these are off-screen. It's still pretty creepy. The only thing is the movie is call, 'Marked Woman' and the "the mark" isn't revealed until the film is almost over. It's a bit odd for squeaky clean kid, Betty to blow into town, and find out what pay her tuitions. Still, I don't know why she would act like Mary in the end, when she clearly stand out, a few minutes, she doesn't want to be like her. Her role seem out of place. The Bacon's themes are so clichés by the time of this movie, such as relations across class lines, stairs being a weapon, woman having secret lives and the man from out-of-town is pretending to be rich. At least the film did do something major by showing the criminal world from the perspective of the victimized female- something rare for the day. Marked Woman Warner's DVD does a good job transfer. There are little gloomy grainy specks and scratches, but that's to be expected in a vintage 1930s film. The original mono audio has been well scrubbed by Warner technicians, who have erased any annoying pops and crackles, and left us with a workable track. Dialogue is always clear and easy to understand, the music sounds robust, and only very sensitive ears will be able to detect the slight bit of hiss that remains. Overall: Without a doubt, it's one of Bette Davis' best films.

Mobster Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli) is the new proprietor of the Club Intime, and he let's everyone know how it's going to be - his henchmen, his employees, and the hostesses who work the patrons. Even the name of the club needs to go, because Johnny doesn't know what "Intime" means. A derivation of "intimate", the new club becomes "Club Intimate", or "In other words, a clip joint...", as described by hostess Mary Dwight (Bette Davis).

When a patron attempts to run out on a gambling debt with Mary's help, she and her co-workers begin to realize the depths to which Vanning will go to exercise his supreme authority, as the debtor turns into a corpse. Assistant D.A. David Graham (Humphrey Bogart), against the better judgment of his boss, Arthur Sheldon (Henry O'Neill), attempts to bring a case against Vanning. But without all his ducks in a row, and a shaky testimony from Mary, Vanning is acquitted, and the heat begins to turn up on Mary and the girls.

When Mary's sister Betty (Mary Bryan) unexpectedly shows up to visit from college, things begin to spiral out of control. When Emmy Lou (Isabel Jewell) tries to show Betty a good time, she winds up as the match up for a high rolling friend of Vanning. Unwilling to cooperate in the romance department, Vanning forcefully slaps Betty, sending her careening down a flight of stairs, never to regain consciousness.

When Graham confronts Mary Dwight with the news of her sister's death, Mary finally decides to go on the offensive. In doing so, she becomes the "Marked Woman" of the title, bearing Johnny's knife carved X on her cheek as a brand for her defiance. In rallying her friends from the club together, the time for Vanning's downfall is at hand, as Graham's new case against the mobsters now has solid evidence. It's masterfully played out, as Vanning and his goons are sentenced to a thirty year hitch for their misdeeds.

Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart appeared in an amazing six films together, this being their fourth outing. All are recommended viewing - "The Bad Sister" (1931, Davis' film debut); "Three on a Match" (1932); "The Petrified Forest" (1937), "Kid Galahad" (1937), and "Dark Victory". It's in "Kid Galahad" that Davis best demonstrates her versatility and range as an actress, even though it's a supporting role.

During "Marked Woman," (1937) Bette Davis stars as Mary Dwight, a hostess at Club Intime. When it's overtaken by a ruthless mobster, Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli), Mary & the other hostesses, who share an apartment, are abused as if prostitutes by bully pimps. After 1 of Mary's 'johns' is murdered, the District Attorney David Graham (Humphrey Bogart), questions her; but, out of fear, she isn't cooperating to speak a word against Vanning Thus, when Vanning's on trial, he's acquitted.

The story becomes complicated after Mary's younger sister Betty (Jane Bryan), shows up on holiday from college. Mary works to provide her littler sister with a college eduction. Betty doesn't know what Mary does to earn money. Once Betty learns what Mary's job is, she goes to the nightclub & takes a job as a hostess, too. When the naive college girl won't be man-handled by a nightclub attendee who makes sexual advances that she refuses, Betty is murdered by one Vanning's hoods.

Broken-hearted, furious & loyal to her dead kid sister, Mary sings like a canary about Vanning to D.A. Graham. Vanning's mob beats Mary until she's disfigured. Gathered at her hospital bedside, Mary's roommates agree to testify in solidarity against Vanning.

Davis is 29 & Bogey's 37yo when this movie, their 4th together, is released. Considering that Bogey's roles were usually either the tough & bad guy or a private detective who skirted the law, playing the role of the D.A. good guy who's trying to rid the city of mobsters provides a character study of another face that Bogey could expertly put on. By their 4th film together, the screen chemistry between Davis & Bogart is titillating. They play off of each other terrifically well. Nevertheless, Bette Davis easily steals the show with a fine-tuned, right on the mark, emotional character performance.

Although Humphrey Bogart appears second-billed to Bette Davis, most of the actresses in the supporting cast (including Mayo Methot, who would soon become Bogart's wife) get more to do really than he does. However, it's a great Bette Davis picture; heavy drama, a bit contrived and obvious, but well-played. She's a hostess in a nightclub run by a gangster (Eduardo Ciannelli), who happens to be a pretty ruthless character even by movie gangster standards. After testifying for him in a rigged trial, she ends up going after him through the courts for revenge after her kid sister (the impossibly wholesome Jane Bryan) is killed. Bogart plays a government lawyer who gets taken to the cleaners in the first trial but helps Davis trap the bad guy.

There's not a lot of poetry in the film.... Lloyd Bacon is usually a very straightforward director, but the final shots of the film are very nice with the women going off into the fog together, the real heroes of the story ignored by the media who are chasing after Bogart, the hero male. In the scene with Davis and Bogart where they say goodbyes, she's waiting for him to say something emotional. Her performance here isn't subtle, but it's not that type of movie. All the scenes with her and Bogart have a nice double-edged chemistry to them, where he's trying to downplay his emotions and she's faking all these wild emotions for various reasons. It's quite an interesting movie to look back on from a feminist angle.

From the time she made "Marked Woman" Bette Davis entered a period of acclaim. With the exception of "That Certain Woman" it would be almost 10 years before Miss Davis would star in a film not worthy of her talents.

"Torn from today's headlines" - Bette Davis plays Mary Dwight, a sassy clip-joint hostess, who isn't afraid to tell new boss Vanning (Edourado Cianelli) what she thinks of his methods ("I know all the angles" - "I'll be living on easy street the rest of my life").

When a date of Mary's is found murdered because he couldn't pay his gambling debts District Attorney David Graham (Humphrey Bogart) steps into the picture. When Mary is set up to get Vanning off the murder charge, she is degraded in court and Graham washes his hands of her.

Betty, her sister who has dropped in for a visit is caught up in the scandal and refuses to go back to school. When Betty is killed, Mary is determined to bring Vanning down.

Ben Weldon will go down in cinema history as the thug who made Bette Davis a "marked woman". The memorable ending has the girls walking arm in arm into the night - futures uncertain but free of Vanning and the mob.

Lola Lane plays "Gabby". She was one of the Lane sisters and started off in musicals. She even sings a song in this movie.

Isabel Jewel was surely the most under-rated of all actresses. Her portrayals are unforgettable. From her debut as the actress with a secret in "Blessed Event" (1932) to the little seamstress who accompanied Ronald Colman in his ride to the guillotine in "A Tale of Two Cities" she was always superb. She plays dizzy Emmy-Lou, who plays a vital part in this film.

Mayo Methot was "Estelle". She met Humphrey Bogart during this film, they married and became known as the battling Bogarts - their fights were legendary. Her nickname was "Sluggy".

Jane Bryan, a discovery of Bette Davis is fine as her innocent sister who becomes entangled with the mob.