Tarnished Lady

Before "Tarnished Lady" was a movie, it was a Broadway play. And, when you watch the movie, it sure LOOKS and SOUNDS like a play. This is not a compliment. No, the film is too stagy, the acting often seemed too mannered and the whole production comes off as very dated. As far as Pre-Code flicks go, you could do a lot better than this one.

Nancy (Tallulah Bankhead) is a society girl who is in love with one man but feels pressured to marry another because he's rich and her family would be set. However, following her marriage, Nancy is unhappy....and eventually tells her husband she's had enough. Now considering they'd only been married a short time and she spend most of it brooding and staring into space, she comes off as a bit of a jerk. However, her old beau has already found another woman and she must learn what it's like to be poor. What will come of all this? Watch the film...or just save yourself some time and read the Wikipedia page!

While Ms. Bankhead was a legendary Broadway performer, this film helps explain why she wasn't bigger in films. Her performance is pretty flat and the writing sure didn't help. Plus, being the Depression, caring about this lady is very tough. Think about it....she's miserable because she's rich and has a loving husband and she leaves him...not exactly a recipe for a likable character plus she just looks and acts like a zombie in much of her performance. She's supposed to be depressed....but not catatonic! Overall, very skippable and a film I hope never to see again...mostly because I didn't care about any of these folks!