just watch it!

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

A Brilliant Conflict

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The other day I saw a few comments about Norma Shearer - sneering at her thespian abilities in "Marie Antoinette" and "Romeo and Juliet" - I just wanted to shout "You don't know the real Norma"!! In the two movies mentioned she was fully entrenched as "First Lady" of MGM but, in the silent era, she was a beautiful leading lady. With Joan Crawford as MGM's flapper in residence, Norma pushed back her hair in a distinctive style, got a wardrobe of rather daring Adrian gowns and added a little shady to the lady. "A Lady of Chance" was Norma's last silent and introduced a new sophisticated Norma to her already legion of fans.Dolly (Norma Shearer) is working as a switchboard operator at a certain ritzy hotel when she is spotted by two former associates, Brad and Gwen (Lowell Sherman and Gwen Lee), who recognise her as their one time partner in crime "Angel Face". Dolly hasn't reformed - she is trying her luck on her own - fleecing gullible millionaires out of their money, with pretty tears (she can cry on cue) and sad stories about dying mothers and sick little brothers. They "convince" her to come back to the gang, holding over her head the fact that she has failed to report to her parole officer. She reluctantly goes back, but is always one step ahead of her shifty con artist buddies. Again Dolly goes out on her own and finds herself at an Atlantic City Convention where she makes a play for Steve Crandall (Johnny Mack Brown), who she thinks is a naive Southern millionaire - "I never realised how uninteresting cement was - until I met you"!!! They marry (a funny title says "From now on I'll do the paying" to which Dolly replies when she closes the door "And How"!!!Once she is in Steve's home town she realises she has made a ghastly mistake - he is not wealthy (he had been at the convention to interest people in his invention of unbreakable cement). He is working to pay off his ramshackle car and the plantation he had dreamed of returning to, well, his family owns the small homestead next door which is badly in need of paint. Dolly is thoroughly disillusioned but is won over by the family's love for her and contentment in the simple things in life - something she has never experienced. Like two bad pennies, Brad and Gwen turn up but before Dolly can convince them that Steve is really poor - Steve bursts through the door with the news that he has sold his invention for $100,000!!!Lowell Sherman and Gwen Lee almost steal the movie - Gwen Lee should have had a much bigger career but her height went against her in an era when leading men were not tall. Lowell Sherman had been playing dapper cads since "Way Down East" with Lillian Gish and his debonair and jaunty mannerisms gave this movie even more class. Even though it was just a frothy comedy it had all the style and sophistication that made MGM the greatest of the "Dream Factories".Highly, Highly Recommended.

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.

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.

This is Norma Shearer's last silent. She plays "Dolly", a con artist who, predictably, falls for her victim (Johnny Mack Brown). It is a hackneyed plot, since done better by more than one film maker. The joy here, though, is simply a treat for the eyes. (There are those who claim she was't beautiful - They've got to be kidding) and there are those who claim she wasn't even a good actress. I'm afraid one could not use this film to prove otherwise. There is nothing remotely subtle about her mugging her way through the part. She learned to be a passable actress with time and the advent of sound, though. Johnny Mack Brown is more than adequate in the part of her "mark". He was a very good actor, and is rarely given his due. Lowell Sherman, as her nemesis, (a fop, bent on blackmail over Dolly's past) is a delight to watch, as he preens, leers and struts his way through the role. He is accompanied in his nefarious task by Gwen Lee, a capable character actress who never really got a shot at lead roles. Her height is in stark contrast to Shearer's small stature. This film is well worth watching, as the photography and processing produced a crisp, visual delight.