Review of Night World (1932) by Michael T — 17 Mar 2009

Hereâ??s an hour of beautiful photography and slice of life couplings. Bright marquees swirling across the black screen to bring us into the night worldâ??a night club, to be exact, where the singer, whoâ??s married to the owner, is having an affair with the man who trains the dancers.

Meanwhile, the owner has designs on one of those dancers, but sheâ??s too busy blowing off a local gangster and feeling sorry for a young drunk, soaked to his socks for the third night in a row after his mother shot his father dead when she walked in on him and his mistress.

The doorman wants to go home early because his wifeâ??s in the hospital, but the owner is making everyone stay lateâ??the dancers have to rehearse after closing!â??because heâ??s mad at his wife. To get back at him, she sets him up against the local gangsters, who are threatening decisive action if he doesnâ??t start buying his hooch from them (he of course refuses).

As a tender meet-cute unfolds between the dancer and the sot, over a steak and a pot of coffee, after the dancers have all gone home and the doormanâ??s wife has died alone in the hospital, the gangsters bust in and shoot everyone deadâ??everyone, that is, but the new young couple, who make plans to marry the next day and sail for South America.

I guess itâ??s a film for romantic existentialists. But I do love a romance between a stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold and a heart-sick sot.