I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Lil Dagover stars with Walter Huston and Warren William in The Woman from Monte Carlo, a 1932 film - actually a remake of a silent film and also a French film starring Annabella.The story concerns a woman, Lottie (Dagover) whose husband (Huston) commands a ship and is away for long periods of time. When the ship arrives in port, she is escorted to the ship by his lieutenant D'Artelles (Warren William) who is in love with her.Lottie is devastated when her husband tells her that because of danger, she cannot stay on the ship overnight and must go home. When d'Artelles informs her of this, she is very upset and talks about how she can never see him, and is alone, has to live like a nun...The ship is torpedoed while she is still with d'Artelles, and though his associate is able to get her home, the fact that she was there becomes critical when her husband is arrested - the boat sinks, and most of the crew is lost. He is accused of bringing the ship too near the enemy; however, the signal he received was the code of a friendly ship. But the only person who knows this, besides Lottie, is a real snake who wants something from Lottie in return for his testimony.It's a shame Dagover only made one film in the U.S., because of all the foreign imports brought over to rival Garbo and Dietrich, she was perhaps the strongest, certainly stronger than Anna Sten and others. She was an excellent actress, her appearance was somewhat similar to Garbo's, and she had great legs. Her accent was a little thick, but in time that would have lessened.She was a huge star in Germany during the Wehrmacht era and was one of Hitler's favorite actresses. She continued to work under the Hitler regime but the films she did were apolitical, musicals and comedies. She also entertained the troops. She worked in Germany until retiring in 1976; she died at the age of 92. A six-decade career, and we got to see her in one movie.Warren William, as others have said, was miscast, and Huston was on the stiff side. That, I think, was how the role was written.All in all, nothing special but it's a good opportunity -- and probably your only one -- to see Lil Dagover.

Lil Dagover is a ship captain's wife, half is age, and a reputation to boot. Of course, she wants to be a faithful wife, but her spouse (an excellent Walter Huston) is too busy being called away on naval business. She's the subject of lustful unwanted advances from sleazy naval officer John Wray, but Huston's right hand man (Warren William) rescues her from him on several occasions. Coincidently, World War I is declared on the night of a shipboard party and a drunken Dagover finds a major hangover when she is left behind when the ship sets off for battle. This leads to a melodramatic plot twist where the ship is torpedoed and Huston is put on court martial for claiming the torpedoing ship had sent friendly secret codes. Will wifey and injured best pal William be able to save him from career suicide without ruining her marriage or further besmirching her reputation? Not if the jealous Wray has his way! Fast-moving romantic melodrama has enough sexual innuendo to fill a dozen pre-code films but suffers from the presence of a rather ineffectual leading lady who appears to be slightly mannish. There's a nice party sequence where Huston ends up in the arms of amorous portly socialite Maude Eburne and a twist in court that is downright over-the-top. It also features a bittersweet downer of an ending that leaves a lot of unanswered questions, but the presence of the ultra talented Walter Huston rises this above mediocrity.

Woman from Monte Carlo, The (1932)** (out of 4) Warner melodrama about a Captain (Walter Houston) in the Navy who is about to enter the start of WWI not knowing that his wife (Lil Dagover) has not only a secret past but she's also carrying on a relationship with her husband's Lieutenant (Warren William). After a tragic event aboard the ship, the Captain finds himself in trouble and the only witness (John Wray) to the events has his own agenda. Despite many familiar faces to film buffs, THE WOMAN FROM MONTE CARLO has been pretty much forgotten to time and if anyone does remember it it's probably for the top-billed Indonesian actress Dagover. It's clear that Warner was hoping they had found their own Greta Garbo type as Dagover gives off that sultry voice and the film wastes no time at showing off her legs. In her opening sequence we see her drag herself out of bed and of course her nightgown lifts up long enough to give viewers a good look at her legs. This here is about the most excitement you're going to get for nearly an hour as everything in the middle of the film is nothing more than boring dialogue as we see the three lead characters go back and forth about themselves. We have the Captain who begins to think that he's more committed to the Navy than his actual wife. We have the questionable wife who loves her husband but also another man. We have the other man who wants to protect the woman he loves. We then have a fourth character who of course is the real snake. The screenplay never really makes any of the characters all that interesting and a little energy or at least passion would have helped things. Director Michael Curtiz is pretty bland in terms of the visuals as there's nothing too good looking here and I'd say that the cinematography is pretty bland as well. I didn't think Curtiz did a very good job at building up any of the personal drama going on but he does manage to make for one great sequence. The highlight of the movie is a pretty good action sequence where the ship comes under fire. The effects are very impressive even today and the sinking of the ship manages to contain some nice drama as well. I thought Dagover was pretty good in her role as she perfectly sold the sexuality of the part but I thought she was also believable as the woman torn between two men. Huston doesn't get much to do but he's always fun to watch. William is good in his part but I think it's clear to say that it should have still been played by someone else. The actor is just too strong to play such a "simple" person and the French accent is constantly going in and out. John Wray makes for a good villain and we also have George E. Stone in a small part. Film buffs might want to check this out for its director and cast but sadly the end result isn't nearly as good as one would have hoped for.

Sporting a plot with gaping holes (one of them large enough to accommodate a battleship), The Woman from Monte Carlo (1931) is more than somewhat disappointing. We waited years to catch up this one. Now it's finally available; but although it has some great moments – principally contributed by John Wray and occasionally by Lil Dagover – the preposterous plot and peculiarly lethargic performance by Warren William undermine its appeal. Nonetheless, although occasionally ill-treated by photographer Ernest Haller, Dagover works hard to build up credibility. Alas, her efforts are sabotaged, largely by Warren William but also by Walter Huston. Admittedly, the admiral is supposed to be a dull old stick, but in my book that doesn't mean he has no charisma whatever. (Incidentally, the studio's credits are wrong. Wray is the ship's captain, Huston is an admiral, and William plays an officer called "D'Artelle"). Michael Curtiz's visual flair is also under pressure from the talky script, the predictable plot and its lifeless characters. All in all, The Woman from Monte Carlo rates as a must-see for Lil Dagover (and John Wray) fans, but little more than a melodramatic curiosity for everyone else.