Much like capra’s it’s a wonderful life the film can get very dark- early on there’s a hanging man in war-ravaged china blocking the mise-en-scene like a von Sternberg film
Quickly edited but there’s some mistakes here with some slopping in scene dialogue continuity editing- Capra would get much better
Very nice post-war set pieces with tons of extras- powerful scenes
There’s a very interesting surrealism interlude- almost like a small silent film featuring the Nils Asther character as an almost nosferatu-like vampire with long nose and fingernails—it has very dramatic music like the silent, too
I love Stanwyck and she’s fine here (not one of her better roles) but she’s better as a femme fatale than as the purer character here
The film doesn’t fully follow the capra ethos
The star crossed lovers would work again in it happened one night and yet again in mr smith goes to Washington (cynical Jean Arthur vs boy scout Jimmy Stewart)
In the archives but not top 10 of 1933- lesser Capra
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