Confession

Kay Francis turns in a splendid performance by pulling out all the stops in this 1937 film.

Basil Rathbone is the cad done in by Ms.Francis. He is his usual sinister self in an engaging performance.

Ian Hunter plays the husband who didn't understand what had happened that night and comes to a bad conclusion.

Francis is a great singer literally done in by the vicious Rathbone. One night of exciting living would result in a lifetime of torment, misery and ultimately murder.

Jane Bryan is convincing as the vulnerable young lady who Francis kills for. Refusing to tell why she killed Rathbone, Francis finally talks when the court is cleared. Donald Crisp, as the sympathetic judge, is at his usual best.

What makes this film so good is the appropriate ending.

This Kay Francis film is a textbook on how to act in a natural manner, even for the minor characters. The dialogue, expressions of the actors, direction and camera work make this little film a true gem. Note that there is no obscene language, nudity or violence for its own sake, and yet the message is very powerful and memorable. Perhaps someday a farsighted film company will come along and make films like this once again so that serious subjects can be viewed and absorbed by the whole family.

Kay Francis gives what is probably her best, most stunning performance in "Confession" - a near shot-by-shot remake of a 1935 Pola Negri soaper called "Mazurka" about a mother/singer who kills her former lover (Basil Rathbone) as soon as she finds out that he is about court her daughter (Jane Bryan). She is put on trial and asked to recount her story. This is a pretty much a routine "Madame X" weepie about maternal sacrifice but under the direction of Joe May, a German emigré who once collaborated with Fritz Lang in Germany, it becomes an amazingly stylish melodrama with sprawling narrative, expressionist outbursts, inventive camera movements, and interesting use of flashbacks. The final moments after the trial are tragic and sad. I love all Kay Francis' movies; "Confession", I think, is her very best.

1937's Confession was a huge hit for Kay Francis, who would soon find Warner Brothers trying to drive her and her big money contract out of the studio with bad scripts. I love when these studios have amnesia about the money a star has made for them.

Confession is a Madame X-type of film, with Francis as a tired, blond cabaret performer a la Dietrich on trial for killing a composer/conductor (Basil Rathbone). She refuses to say anything in her defense, but eventually, she tells her story. In flashback, we see the character of Vera as a young opera singer who gives up her career for love.

The studio treatment of "Confession" was similar to the treatment given "Algiers" - Warners bought up all the prints of "Mazurka," the European version of this film, and kept it from being seen outside of Germany.

Walter Wanger tried to buy up all the prints of "Pepe le Moko" when he made Algiers - fortunately, in that case, the ploy didn't work.

The cast is good, with Francis doing a great job as Vera. Rathbone is appropriately dashing and slimy as Michael.

Jane Bryan (who married Rexall Drugs and retired) gives an odd performance. Her character, Lisa, keeps saying that she doesn't want to see Michael, yet does.

That is understandable, but when she's with him, she acts miserable and like she doesn't want to be there. Not that I blame her, but why go out with him in the first place? She doesn't exhibit, for me anyway, the sexual desire and excitement that would make her nervousness and discomfort believable.

Very good film, recommended, especially for a stunning Kay Francis performance.

This must be the best role Kay Francis ever had - and she rises to it, giving an astonishing performance. When you first see her - in blonde wig, singing and dancing Dietrich style but half-drunk - you know you're in for something different. As the film flashes back Francis transforms into an innocent young girl, and back to the present she stands with solemn dignity, a woman all but "washed-up". You'll never forget the final moments of this film.

When Francis is not on, and it takes her a while to appear, the film is less extraordinary - but by no means bad. Jane Bryan's a bit wet, but Basil Rathbone is suitably slimy as her seducer. And there are strong performances from the wonderful Laura Hope Crews (Aunt Pitty-Pat as an opera singer) and the excellent Donald Crisp.

But it is the visual style of the piece that, coupled with Francis' performance, makes the film unforgettable. The story goes that this is a frame by frame remake of a German film called "Mazurka" starring Pola Negri. This would explain why the film looks so different to the usual Hollywood style. There are bizarre camera angles, expressionist sequences, non-realistic moments, haunting music and bizarre costume, make-up and set designs. Joe May directs with a steady hand, and Sidney Hickox's cinematography and Orry-Kelly's costumes warrant special mention.

This film deserves to be resurrected and re-assessed. It is one of the most original American films of the 1930's. It also makes me want to re-assess the career of Kay Francis, who is an actress I never warmed to before this film. See it and tell me what you think!