THAT CERTAIN AGE:
I will freely admit that the late '30's is not
one of my favorite movie periods...the typical product of the day is, to me, fairly repressed, wet-blanket entertainment compared to both what came before and what was just around the corner. I also consider Deanna Durbin a defining symptom of the disease (my apologies to the rabid Durbin fans; I just don't find anything compelling about her). So it was strictly out of loyalty to Nancy Carroll's past glories that I went to see this picture. In defense I will say that most of the audience
in attendance seemed to react to this picture the same way I did...lots of shifting in seats, lots of nodding off. But when Nancy, in her very small part, finally swept onto screen with a decided air of flamboyance, it's interesting how everyone snapped to attention. Once again, most people there were unaware of Nancy Carroll, but they felt the crackle
of electricity that accompanied her arrival. It was more than just the sudden appearance of a beautiful woman...Nancy was a PRESENCE that illuminated her surroundings. It only serves to illustrate how that force was
wasted in less-than-worthy pictures. However, even in a fairly thankless minor role for a former headliner, Nancy never seems to be slumming...she gives a solid performance. How sad that this was her screen swan song. She could have given us so much more. --Tom Bertino