James Whale's "The Kiss Before the Mirror" (1933) came in between "The Old Dark House" and "The Invisible Man," all three of which feature the lovely actress Gloria Stuart, chiefly remembered by today's audiences for her award-winning performance at age 86 in 1997's "Titanic." For those who dismiss her early film work in weepy heroine parts (such as "The Prisoner of Shark Island"), this role is quite a revealing eye-opener; a sensuous performance as Lucy Bernsdorf, married to wealthy doctor Walter (Paul Lukas), but possessing a younger lover (Walter Pidgeon). Playful, kittenish, exquisitely dressed, well coiffured, a luscious sight to behold, is it any wonder how any man could resist? We watch as Lucy removes her dress, revealing her nude silhouette through the window, completely unaware that her husband has followed her, roused by her 'kiss before the mirror,' knowing that her careful primping is not on his behalf. Walter takes out his revolver, shoots her dead (three times), then immediately phones the police to confess his guilt. Luckily, Walter's best friend is attorney Paul Hold (Frank Morgan), who prepares a stirring defense for his client, listens to his description of how he discovered the truth about his faithless wife, then goes home to his beautiful wife (top billed Nancy Carroll), who displays the very same reaction to his own 'kiss before the mirror.' Cast against type, Morgan is surprisingly good, as is the Hungarian Lukas, soon reunited with Gloria Stuart in "Secret of the Blue Room," and with James Whale for "By Candlelight." With a supporting cast that includes Donald Cook (as Nancy Carroll's lover), Jean Dixon and Charley Grapewin (both part of Morgan's team), nothing can top the unforgettable nude image of the lustrous Gloria Stuart, in an all-too-rare change of pace not surprising from director Whale, who previously presented her in a similar light in "The Old Dark House." Add to that sets already familiar from "Frankenstein," and you have a fascinating pre-code drama that must surely rank as superior to Whale's 1938 remake "Wives Under Suspicion" (which this author admits never to have seen).
Review of The Kiss Before the Mirror
