Opera star Maria Corda is the most famous woman in Venice, and her companion, tenor Ben Bard, has his name linked with her. But when Lord Milton Sills shows up in town, he and the lady are soon married and on their way to London. But in London, she is only his wife. She misses the acclaim of Venice, and so persuades him to return to Venice. But Bard shows up. Sills orders him from the house. Bard bribes his way through the servants' entrance, and confronts her in her bedroom. She, however, has no interest in him. Sills finds them together. Bard leaves, and Sills, convinced of her betrayal, orders her to go likewise, and never return. But Sills is arrested for her murder.
Ah, passion, jealousy and everyone acting stupidly! It's one of the movies that Alexander Korda directed during his first stay in Hollywood, and First National spent their money for sumptuous sets.... although when Mrs Corda opens her balcony window to get a breath of fresh Venetian air, I snickered a bit. Sills is excellent in a role that, had this been produced at Paramount, would have fallen to a stony-faced Clive Brook. It's a very American movie about the weird and morally doubtful Europeans, but the performances keep it interesting.
