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(1931, actually) starring Barbara Stanwyck in an Oscar worthy performance. It also features the very young Clark Gable in his first large role--- one of the most terrifying, evil creatures ever filmed.
A young woman talks her way into a nurses job, becomes a private nurse to a wealthy couple and slowly realizes they are starving their children.... to death.
When she attempts to interfere, the chauffeur becomes enraged, targeting her and all who attempt to intercede.
Gable definitely should have gotten an Oscar, as well.
The director is the great action auteur, William A. Wellman who, earlier in the year, helmed the classic gangster epic, "The Public Enemy," starring the incendiary Jimmy Cagney.
Anyhow, don't think "Oh, it's 1930, it'll be full of overacting and anemic."
This was filmed before the Catholic Code of Decency.
There is lots of skin, violence (murder, rape, physical abuse, etc.) which is very graphic.
Stanwyck's perforance, however, is the true marvel. Feminine, tough as nails, and very, very beautiful.
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We watched it last night and enjoyed it very much.
... is a gem called "A Free Soul," with Gable-with L. Barrymore, N. Shearer, L. Howard and a great young James Gleason-as gangster freed from a murder charge, who falls in love with his alcoholic defense lawyer's free spirit daughter. I thought Gable was electrifying in the smallish part. I can see from his early work why people went nuts over him. The movie is ahead of its time, and is a knock out. I also think it was fabulously well photographed. If you see it, check out the woodlands exteriors towards the end of the movie. It was unusual (to me, at least) to find early post silent era films that looked as good as the "late" silents, but I figure that was Thalberg's MGM production team in its glorious B & W heyday. As a side note, Gables' character's name is my favorite of all time: Ace Wilfong. Something about that moniker just makes me laugh.
"Ace."
One of the films, I don't remember which, also starred a very young and very tough Bogart. Bette Davis was in it and she positively lit up the screen. I truly enjoy seeing these super novas when they were so young.
We really don't have anything like them today.
Jolie? Pitt? Norton? Affleck?
The quality of films has fallen so much that, even though a lot of these older films weren't masterpieces, they almost appear so....
That period of films was pretty cool. Then the censorship set in in about 33-34. Too bad. Stanwyck did several great roles in that "pre-code" period like Ladies of Leisure, Illicit, 10 cents a dance, Babyface and the like.
ET
underrated great actress.
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