This is a classic Pre Code film covering taboo subject matters such as a child being born out of wedlock. One thing that I particularly enjoyed about it is the performance of black actress Mildred Washington. She plays Claudette Colbert's maid, however they have an unusual interracial friendship. I would even suggest that perhaps they are more than just friends, and maybe even having a lesbian (bisexual) affair. Many scenes are with the maid hanging out with Claudette Colbert's character while she is in her bed. I would suggest that is a subtle code that something deeper is going on between them, because what white woman in those days would allow a black woman servant into her bedroom? I could be wrong, but even the fact that they are friends is highly unusual for the 1930s. It is a movie that advanced civil rights in America through being a film that broke barriers with entertainment. The film can become a little bit melodramatic at times, but it is well worth seeing and examining how Pre Code films handled subject matters that most of us assumed were off limits for movies back then. Sadly Mildred Washington died at 28 years old around the same time the movie came out.
Review of Torch Singer
