One of those rare instances where a librarian takes her glasses off, but doesn’t magically transform into somebody else.
This seems really, really familiar. Have I seen a later remake or something?
Yeah, this was “inspired” by a novel that has been done five times. Even the same year as this one.
Oh yeah:
I bought a box set of Frank Capra’s early movies…
This is a very strange variation on this story — the concept is that a small town librarian is tired of her boring life, so she takes all her savings and goes to mix with High Society until her money runs out.
Lots of potential for high jinx, fun and drama.
This is much more realistic and not as much fun.
Oh, right, this is a pre-Code movie…
This movie doesn’t have the plot I was expecting at all! Which is probably why I’m finding it extremely confusing — every other scene I’m going “is that the same character as in that other scene”? But it’s also just a bit hard to tell, really. And now the plot seems to be about corruption in city gummint?
Adolphe Menjou not being very memorable is probably part of the problem for me.
And also these camera angles.
Yeah, that’s a journalist.
Well, their aging technology isn’t very impressive… They just put some flour in his hair?
Well, you seldom see Hollywood movies that commit this much to showing a tragedy — just when you think there’s a glimmer of hope… there’s not.
So that’s admirable, but I just couldn’t get into this movie. Probably my fault.
Forbidden. Frank Capra. 1932. ⚁
