A Notorious Affair

If you like Kay Francis, this is probably a movie worth checking out. She's silky smooth as a man-eating seductress who has her sights on the husband of a rival. If there's a female equivalent to the "male gaze", she has it, and she's always in full control as she uses men and then casually discards them, including a couple of stable boys early on. It was interesting to see Basil Rathbone before he was a star and Billie Dove towards the end of her career (and in a talkie), but unfortunately the plot is overly melodramatic, and when Francis isn't lighting up the screen, the film is far less interesting.