... as this was Warner Brother's first and last attempt to replicate the oomph of Garbo with Dagover. The first problem is that the impersonation is too obvious and overdone. The second problem is that Dagover is 45 at this point, and the film is playing Dagover's character up to be in her 20s, because she and her husband, played by Walter Huston, keep going on and on about how she is half her husband's age. In fact Huston was only four years older than she.
The "woman from Monte Carlo", Lottie, is married to French naval captain Corlaix (Walter Huston). She is lonely because she hasn't been married that long and her husband is always at sea. To complicate matters, one of her husband's officers, Warren William as Lieutenant d'Ortelles, is in love with her, although neither has done anything about the attraction. Cmdr. Brambourg (John Wray), second in command to Corlaix, seems to think that because he and Lottie were in the same room one time at Monte Carlo that they are old lovers. She sets him straight. He does not appreciate it.
So the trouble starts when the ship carrying these officers docks, but they are ordered to stay on board. Instead the wives and friends of the crew are brought onboard, including Lottie. War is declared that night - I assume WWI - and all of the visitors have to go back to shore early. When Lottie becomes distraught because she may not see her husband again for years, Lieutenant d'Ortelles takes her to his cabin to calm her down. In the meantime, all of the other civilians have left and the ship has set sail for the open sea. In the words of Chester Riley - "What a revoltin' development this is!"
The captain has no idea of his officer's crush on his wife, there is no way to explain her presence in his cabin, and how will they get her back to shore without being discovered! Then an enemy ship appears and causes even more complications.
So this script is not that bad. It does seem that matters are stretched out, too much dialogue for too little plot. Plus I just don't believe these officers are French! It's not that I expect them to sound like Inspector Clouseau, because that would just be too cheesy. But John Wray sounds like a New York gangster - he often played one - and Walter Huston sounds too folksy to be a Frenchman. Warren William is smooth as always, but he just seems to be in a role that could have been played by any anonymous actor. Not nearly up to his great talent.
In summary it's pretty much a take it or leave it proposition.
