The presentation and acting is a little 'stagey' but this nevertheless is thoroughly entertaining and engaging. There's no 'First National' moniker on this so it's a proper Warner Brothers A-movie and they pulled out all the stops with this to make it professional and for it to stand the test of time.
The joy with films from this period is being able to compare our lives with those of the 30s and although this doesn't dwell too much of The Depression, it's depiction of a hospital and particularly the maternity ward is both fascinating and terrifying - I am surprised our species managed to survive! Pointedly that scene in the maternity ward deliberately shows how we're all equal, well at least as babies. Black, white and Asian babies are all together, all equal and all give the same care, a nice touch for 1931.
This movie seems to be loved by 'pre-code fans' but I didn't find it exceptional. It's watchable, it's quite exciting and the story will keep you enthralled but it's no classic. The characters are a little black and white being either wonderful, loveable paragons of virtue or in the case of Clarke Gable (sans moustache), almost a pantomime villain. Although Gable only has this very one dimensional role to play with, his talent shines through making his performance very memorable.
The joy with films from this period is being able to compare our lives with those of the 30s and although this doesn't dwell too much of The Depression, it's depiction of a hospital and particularly the maternity ward is both fascinating and terrifying - I am surprised our species managed to survive! Pointedly that scene in the maternity ward deliberately shows how we're all equal, well at least as babies. Black, white and Asian babies are all together, all equal and all give the same care, a nice touch for 1931.
This movie seems to be loved by 'pre-code fans' but I didn't find it exceptional. It's watchable, it's quite exciting and the story will keep you enthralled but it's no classic. The characters are a little black and white being either wonderful, loveable paragons of virtue or in the case of Clarke Gable (sans moustache), almost a pantomime villain. Although Gable only has this very one dimensional role to play with, his talent shines through making his performance very memorable.