Corsa alla vanità

I saw a very murky, dark print (the film can be found), but it still engaged me completely, which is saying something given the condition of the print. I'll admit I'm a Constance Bennett fan, and this was made during her peak years. A social climbing girl finds out she was illegitimate and why, but doesn't realize she is guilty of the same superficiality as her mother. She follows the same path... I won't say more to not give away the story, but while the ending may be expected, it is an entertaining path getting there. There are no early 30s melodramatics here, the acting was quite good and I think it's the only opportunity to see Constance Bennett playing opposite here father Richard. If you like early talkie drama, this is highly recommended.

Constance Bennett (Stephanie) is a socially aspiring teenager who wants to belong to the wealthy classes. She has been brought up by hard-working mother Dorothy Peterson but has never known her father. There are 3 men who enter into her life - Richard Bennett (Meyer), Ben Lyon (Nick) and Ray Milland (Charles). It's a soap opera story about how she finds love and the right path.

The film is pretty obvious in where it is going and I mean that with regard to every storyline. You should guess the whole thing pretty early on. It doesn't matter, though, as the cast are good and Bennett wins the audience over. She starts off as selfish but she turns things around and we get to like her as she changes her tune. I wouldn't have recognized Milland had it not been for his voice. He's young here and pretty scarily plastered with make-up. Unfortunately, the film suffers slightly with the sound quality and a great deal more with the picture quality.

The film covers a 2 year period as Constance progresses from an 18 year old to a 20 year old. From an immature teenager to a mature young lady.

This is an extremely enjoyable film despite the print quality. Miss Bennett was worth every penny that the Brother's Warner paid her. It was a little disconcerting to see her so painfully thin but that was part of the 1930's allure. A fine cast, no clinkers at all. Note that Dorothy Peterson was just 7 years old when she supposedly gave birth to CB - only in Hollywood! Miss Peterson was intelligent enough to accept mother roles very early in her career and thus prolonged it far beyond the average tenure of her contemporaries. Thank goodness that films such as this have survived to serve as a counterpoint to what is produced today.