Please don't spend money on this.

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Lady of the Night (1925) is most certainly one of the most beautiful pictures ever made. Tinted and toned and presented in the most wonderful condition by Warner Archive, "Lady of the Night" is indeed most certainly an absolutely constant pleasure to look at. The special effects are a wow too! And as for the acting by Norma Shearer, Malcolm McGregor and George K. Arthur, they are almost is almost totally spellbinding. Just one problem: No plot. All the clues are planted all right. But nothing happens! Nothing! Absolutely nothing!Never mind, I'll willingly watch it all unfold again - it's just so lavishly staged by director Monta Bell, and so beautiful to look at, thanks to the artistry of photographer André Barlatier.

A happy melodrama, it avoids sentimentality but never makes up the social issues that arise in the story, which are too evident to be ignored. It is neither a great romantic tale, nor an intense drama of social climbing, although it has elements of both, but the script concocted by Alice D.G. Miller and Adele Rogers St. Johns goes for a touch of light comedy in the midst of the unrequited love affair of the "bad" girl, and entertainment for the masses in the evolution of the "good" girl's romance. Norma Shearer is good in both roles, moving in several scenes: the brilliant moments for me are those two scenes in which Shearer as Molly, the poor motherless daughter of a convict, enters two spaces with excitement and wonder in her eyes. First, the workshop of the man she loves, moving to his room and opening a closet and taking a pair of biscuits she eats sitting on his bed; and second, the luxury car of Florence, the rich motherless daughter of a judge, and her rival in love. Photographed by French cinematographer André Barlatier with sets designed by Irish art director Cedric Gibbons, "Lady of the Night" was directed with elegance and style by Monta Bell. Recommended.

TCM is showing a very crisp print of LADY OF THE NIGHT, tinted throughout in shades of blue, yellow, orange, sepia, etc. and giving it a more interesting look than most of the B&W films of that era. It's accompanied by a very perky score by Jon Mirsalis that captures the feel of the story with style.NORMA SHEARER has the chance to play two roles, a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks and a rich society girl--with both of them in love with leading man MALCOM McGREGOR. The stories are blended because the poor girl is the daughter of a criminal sentenced to life in prison and the rich girl is the daughter of the judge who sentenced him.Camera work is marvelous in scenes where Shearer acts with herself, technically excellent in the manner the actress is photographed for the dual scenes. Particularly clever is the use of tinted photography to make the story more vivid.For Shearer fans, this is a must see since this is really a minor gem in her career. She's equally convincing as Molly, the gum-chewing gal who knows she's not respectable enough to win the love of the inventor she has helped, and the quiet and thoughtful rich girl who realizes that poor Molly really has first claim on McGregor's heart.The ending manages to be a mixture of sadness and brightness, a satisfying conclusion to an interesting and poignant tale about the whims of true love when it comes to wealth and poverty.

This is a pretty good film starring Norma Shearer in dual roles--as two different women in love with the same man. The acting is just fine and the film is still very watchable today, but I also feel that it's an awfully forgettable film as well--worth a look, but it won't change your life. Most of this is due to the simplicity of the plot and the fact that there really isn't that much tension in the film. The nice guy that the poor lady ("Norma #1") fell for really didn't love her, while the rich lady ("Norma #2) did--so it seems pretty obvious which "Norma" will end up with the guy in the end. Plus, when it becomes obvious that both women desperately loved the guy, the poor Norma just walks away and wishes them luck,...and there just doesn't seem to be any sparks or action. I didn't want a cat fight or anything, but to just walk away so quickly and without even a whimper was too anticlimactic. In addition, the message that nobility can be found in the poor as well as the rich is pretty obviously conveyed, though despite all the obviousness about the film, it is still pretty good and compares reasonably well with the many silent films I have watched.