Lady of the Night

A judge (Fred Esmelton) sentences a man (Lew Harvey) to 20 years in prison. Cut to 18 years later, and the judge's daughter Florence (Norma Shearer) is graduating from finishing school, a privileged young lady ready for society. Meanwhile, across town, the convict's daughter Molly (also Norma Shearer) is getting released from reformatory school, with no prospects for a future. Molly and her friends quickly turn to prostitution, with Molly "taken care of" by Chunky Dunn (George K. Arthur). Molly meets handsome inventor Dave (Malcolm McGregor), and quickly falls for him and his possibility of a brighter future. But Dave meets Florence while seeking backing for one of his inventions, and falls for the more reputable girl. Also featuring Dale Fuller, Gwen Lee, and Betty Morrissey.

I think this may be my favorite performance by Shearer. While she's the usual wet-blanket as the goodie two-shoes Florence, she's alive, vibrant and real as the hard-bitten Molly. The plot and secondary characters are largely forgettable, with the exception of Molly's friends. 19-year-old Joan Crawford sort of makes her screen debut as Shearer's body double whenever her two characters share the screen. Crawford can fleetingly be seen made-up as the Molly character during one brief moment when Florence and Molly embrace, as well.

TCM is showing a very crisp print of LADY OF THE NIGHT, tinted throughout in shades of blue, yellow, orange, sepia, etc. and giving it a more interesting look than most of the B&W films of that era. It's accompanied by a very perky score by Jon Mirsalis that captures the feel of the story with style.

NORMA SHEARER has the chance to play two roles, a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks and a rich society girl--with both of them in love with leading man MALCOM McGREGOR. The stories are blended because the poor girl is the daughter of a criminal sentenced to life in prison and the rich girl is the daughter of the judge who sentenced him.

Camera work is marvelous in scenes where Shearer acts with herself, technically excellent in the manner the actress is photographed for the dual scenes. Particularly clever is the use of tinted photography to make the story more vivid.

For Shearer fans, this is a must see since this is really a minor gem in her career. She's equally convincing as Molly, the gum-chewing gal who knows she's not respectable enough to win the love of the inventor she has helped, and the quiet and thoughtful rich girl who realizes that poor Molly really has first claim on McGregor's heart.

The ending manages to be a mixture of sadness and brightness, a satisfying conclusion to an interesting and poignant tale about the whims of true love when it comes to wealth and poverty.

I saw this silent film at the SF Silent Film Festival in 2004 as well, and it was the highlight of the festival for me. Norma Shearer at her best, and Monta Bell absolutely brilliant. I was amazed by how the narrative was so well told through multiple simple, powerful visual moments, and succinct, thoughtful words. The print was beautiful and crisp.

I hope this film comes out on DVD. It's a silent film that is so subtle, contemporary, and accessible that it defies some stereotypes of silent films as overly dramatic gesturing fests.

A new print of this film was screened in San Francisco at the July 2004 Silent Film Festival, with live original piano accompaniment. For Shearer fans, an unbelievable treat. She plays two roles, displaying a unique sensitivity to each character's situation. Even though the script is sparse, Monta Bell's direction and usage of prolonged portrait shots pulls the viewer into a deep understanding of the parallel stories. For trivia fans: Norma really had her eyes under control for this one! There are more 3/4 and full-faced shots than I have ever seen or could hope for. She more than deserves the on-going introduction of, "The lovely Norma Shearer." We must have a DVD of this one!

Monta Bell and Norma Shearer had an actress-director collaboration as important as that of Von Sternberg and Dietrich. And deeper. For while Sternberg never tired of exploring the planes of Dietrich's face, Bell explored Shearer's soul -- and through her, explored the moral nature of American women in the pivotal decade of the 1920s. All three of their extant films are to be cherished, but this is their absolute masterpiece.