L'avventuriera

Lady of Chance, A (1928)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

MGM silent film about a con artist known as "Angel Face" (Norma Shearer) who lures rich, married men to her apartment so that she can blackmail them. After a con goes wrong she flees from the police and meets her next target (Johnny Mack Brown) but after marrying him she lears that he's actually poor, which doesn't sit well with her partners who want cash. This is a pretty typical story of a bad girl falling in love and then trying to go straight. What sets the film apart is the performance from Shearer who is very good as both the good girl and the vamp. There are several pre-code elements ranging from her lifting her skirt up to show off her legs to some other heated moments, which makes the film somewhat better. The biggest flaw is that we've seen this type of film countless times even before this one was released.

"A Lady of Chance" was Norma Shearer's last silent film. The Turner Movie Classic channel debut of this forgotten gem with a brand-new score, took place on August 15, 2001. It was a total delight! The print was in excellent condition and looked just as audiences first saw it in 1928. Norma, who never looked lovelier, was in top form and showed how adept she was as a silent movie actress. Never let anyone say that she couldn't handle comedy! It's a fun film to watch and I recommend it to anyone, not just Shearer fans.

Norma Shearer's last silent movie has her paroled from Joliet. She's working a hotel switchboard when she's spotted by Gwen Lee, who's working with Norma's old partner in the badger game, Lowell Sherman. After they all double-cross each other, Norma buys an expensive outfit and heads to Atlantic City, where she settles on a likely rich sucker, Johnny Mack Brown. Johnny is naive, and soon they are married and heading back to his home. But the reality is not what Norma expected. Johnny isn't rich, but poor. He's invented a new sort of cement, but it hasn't paid off yet.

Miss Shearer shows off her silent acting chops with an expressive face and some sardonic expressions. Brown is young, handsome, and has the expression of a hungry dog watching people eat roast beef. Robert Z. Leonard directs everyone ably as was his wont, and there are some very amusing titles written by Ralph Spence, who would go on to script such esteemed pictures as SH! THE OCTOPUS and DOWN ARGENTINE WAY.

Story of female con artist who falls for her scam victim is just a backdrop for Shearer, who photographs beautifully and shows a remarkable range without uttering a word (check out the "wedding veil" scene, where she moves from mocking the idea of marriage to momentarily embracing the idea, all within a few seconds of subtly-evolving facial gestures). Entertaining, even if plot takes a couple of slightly unbelievable twists, with nice balance of comedy and drama (again, Shearer's range of emotion in the last scenes of the film are impressive and engaging). Clearly shows why Norma Shearer was a major MGM star even before the advent of sound.

While Warner Brothers and many of the other American studios were making more and more talking pictures in 1928, the world's largest and most prestigious studio, MGM, was still firmly convinced that sound was a fad that would soon pass. This is one of the main reasons that this film is a silent, though in a slight nod to the trend, it did feature sound effects and music.

During most of her career, Norma Shearer played rather nice ladies and that's why I enjoyed seeing her in this film, as she was a nasty piece of work. Not only was she a career criminal, but she had no qualms about cheating "suckers" out of their money. Eventually, though, she thinks she's ready for a big score when she meets a man who she thinks is really rich--though after they marry and move to his home she finds he's not rich but owns a small concrete business. What happens next is pretty interesting but I'd rather cut the summary short because it might spoil the film.

The film has decent writing (though at times it is predictable) and the acting is generally very good as well. Most importantly, it is fun to watch and entertaining. While not among the best silents, this is still worth a peek--especially if, like me, you are a huge fan of early film.