Darkened Rooms

Incredibly silly story worth watching if only for the fabulous Evelyn Brent. Neil Hamilton is a photographer hoping to cash in by pretending to be a psychic who can contact dead loved ones. His main target, a society girl, comes off as a completely gullible moron, and Neil Hamilton is hardly a "hero" as a man determined to make it big by being a fraud. You wonder what Evelyn Brent sees in him, and even more so, you wonder how Evelyn Brent stooped so low after her fabulous performances in "Underworld" and "The Last Command".

Under the instruction of Coney Island boardwalk spiritualist Gale Henry, Neil Hamilton learns the racket of the mitt ball and goes into business for himself. He uses Evelyn Brent, so besotted with with him that she'd do anything, as a front, while he expertly ropes in the rubes. Yet is Miss Brent just faking it for his sake, or does she actually speak with the dead?

Hamilton is good in the role intended for Gary Cooper, but Miss Brent, as usual, dominates everything. Louis Gasnier directs decently, but the poor quality of the print I looked at interferes with this obvious message film, which looks like it was intended for more than a programmer.

Neil Hamilton is Emory Yago, the struggling proprietor of a boardwalk photography shop. Madame Silvera, an adjacent spiritual medium, hires Emory to fake "spirit photos", and he becomes intrigued with the financial possibilities of spiritualism. While researching this new business enterprise, an exhausted and starving chorus girl (Evelyn Brent) collapses in Emory's shop. He shows kindness, feeding and nurturing her back to health, and she repays his rescue by picking up the slack at the photo shop. In spite of the affection Emory and Ellen share, greed overtakes Emory's heart and his spiritualism racket consumes his thoughts. Ellen will resort to some trickery of her own to save her relationship and get Emory to "go straight".

An early talker, this film cannot blame its flaws on the new sound technique. Its release near the end of 1929 comes almost a full year into Paramount's talking age. The plot is meandering and direction is slack. Mr. Hamilton gave many fine, full-bodied performances in 1929. Here, his character's motivations are not made clear to the audience, because, I don't believe HE understood them. Evelyn Brent fills the eyes and ears again with PRESENCE, though her lines have plenty of clunk factor. No dazzling special effects to save the finale, either.

Comic relief is supplied by Sammy Bricker playing a sailor. He keeps coming in to be photographed with a different girl throughout the picture. For all the shortcomings, I recommend seeing Evelyn Brent in any of her early talkie roles. She is one of the screen's truly unsung divas.

Photographer gets involved with hypnosis & spiritualism, then learns lessons. This could've gone tough and dark (which would've been OK) but it turned out to be a sweet charmer (also OK). The performances seem a bit pedestrian, but it's the chemistry of the leads which wins me over. I will actually grade this 6.5.

Online free at 64 minutes rather than listed 66 minutes, but I think that recording runs fast. This particular print is also blue-tinted, which is also listed at IMDB. Supposedly there is a silent version, but only sound is listed at IMDB presently.