Review of Marked Woman (1937) by Private U — 23 Dec 2007

Well-acted society melodrama upon the marginalized women who make a degraded living dealing with mobster under the risk of extortions and deforming threats. bette davis plays clip joint hostess marie dwight with quick wits and gutsy slyness who leades her fellow companions striving for the tough money in night club. once marie gets herself into the jam by helping one of her clients avoiding the mob assasination then she has to collaborate again with the mobster to beat off his murder accusation. subsequently marie's publicity in news paper exposes her true profession to her pure as lily college sister who envies marie's seemingly camelot-alike career of merrymaking nightlife that induces the family fued, then his sister gets herself disposed of by the mobster leader. repentant marie seeks justified revenge on the mobster even at the cost of a mark on her precious facecheek.

There's nothing too unique about this flick but leastly it's not awfully made, mainly straitforwardly sketched scene from scene, except director bacon sympathesizes the female characters by depicting the draining side of their overlaborous life for survival. mostly you witness their oppressive exhaustion in the apartment and their inability to retrack back to norm. the ending emits the pathos arised by social criticism as the news paper glorifies bogart's attorney but neglect the gritty five female-martyrs.

Topicality of social drama and good performance from its cast are the best asset of it. bette davis does another brillaint acting to incarnate into another strong-willed individualistic woman who has the defying courage to contend for her belief. humprey borat earns another breakthrough chance in the 30s to prove that he could do much more than playing sordid gangster villains with the role of decent district attorney. alongside with other four actresses as marie's best pals are showered with the right-nuanced glamourous wardrobe wich belongs restrictively to the 30s, sponsored by orry-kelly who also undertakes errol flynn's sea hawk.