The Trial of Mary Dugan

Norma Shearer is a kept woman. Her lover dies with a knife driven into his heart, and she is quickly arrested for his murder. H. B. Warner is the prosecuting attorney. Lewis Stone her defense lawyer. As the prosecution goes on, Warner paints a picture of Miss Shearer that is very damaging; Stone deflects many of these points. Just before Olive Tell, the dead man's widow testifies, Raymond Hackett appears. As Miss Shearer's brother, he is permitted to sit at the defense table. Miss Tell's testimony is very damaging, and Stone refuses to cross-examine her. Hackett, as a California lawyer, argues with him, until Stone resigns. Can Hackett save his sister's life?

The chance of getting an accurate depiction of a trial is close to zero, but this does a pretty good job. The one exception is the transfer of attorneys. Stone cannot simply resign, he must ask to be relieved; Hackett, as an out-of-state lawyer has no standing in another. State's court. He must be approved pro hac vice, usually with a local lawyer to serve alongside. Otherwise, the handling of court procedure is pretty good, if a bit informal.

That said, the performances are terrific! A good deal of the credit must go to director Bayard Veiller, who wrote and directed the play version on Broadway. Although the camera is still, rapid cutting by editor Blanche Sewell keeps up the pace, and the shifting balance of evidence is exciting. Big emotions are on display, but although I might decry them as stagey in another movie, here they seem natural and justified. Neither did I expect the outcome.

This movie was redlined in many locations because of the detail of Miss Shearer being a kept woman. It also vanished, although it was remade twice: once by MGM in 1941, and another time by the BBC. Without mentioning the technical issues that afflict many a 1929 movie, including this one, it would be very good. Understanding those issues, it's excellent.