Doom one day
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Doom one day |
| Original title | 24 hours |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1931 |
| length | 64 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Marion Low |
| script | Louis Weitzenkorn |
| production | Paramount Pictures |
| music |
Rudolph G. Kopp John Leipold |
| camera | Ernest Haller |
| occupation | |
| |
Doom of a Day (OT: 24 Hours ) is an American crime film with Clive Brook and Kay Francis in the lead roles and directed by Marion Gering . The film is based on the novel of the same name by Louis Bromfield .
action
The action, as the title suggests, extends over 24 hours. It starts at eleven o'clock in the evening at a party in an exclusive penthouse in New York. Millionaire James Morton Towner is an alcoholic and married to the attractive Fanny. Both partners cheat regularly and Fanny has made the decision to file for divorce. James leaves the party early and goes straight to a bar to continue to get drunk. There he meets the singer Rosie Dugan, a girl with an easy lifestyle. Rosie invites James to spend the rest of the night with her. Before it comes to the worst in Rosie's apartment, drunk James falls asleep. A short time later, Rosie's ex-husband Tony Bruzzi enters the apartment and strangles Rosie without James noticing anything while drunk. Tony leaves the scene and is murdered a short time later. At the same time, Fanny takes precautions to leave for Europe the next morning. The next morning, James wakes up to find the murdered Rosie next to him. James is arrested and charged with the murder of Rosie. Fanny learns of the arrest and rushes to the police, where she assures James that she will stand by his side, no matter what may come. However, she is not entirely convinced of his innocence herself. The police find Tony's fingerprints and release James. After a few more tangles, the couple decide to try again. At eleven o'clock in the evening, 24 hours later, they raise their glasses and toast James' last drink.
background
Kay Francis , who had been with Paramount since 1929 , had risen to become a popular star, largely thanks to her ability to exude calm and self-confidence even in emotional moments. Mostly she was used as a supporting actress, but the - mostly female - audience quickly took notice of her. Francis had a reputation for being one of the best dressed women on screen, and in 24 hours the studio's chief designer, Travis Banton, tailored some spectacular ensembles for her. A lush fur coat that Francis throws over his shoulders as a matter of course when leaving the party became particularly popular.
The film is characterized by a pessimistic, very melancholy attitude. None of the characters are really positively designed and the dark atmosphere of permanent adultery, alcoholism and ubiquitous crime leaves considerable and legitimate doubts about the flimsy happy ending. Francis and Hopkins would appear together again a year later, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, in the strip Trouble in Paradise .
criticism
Kay Francis was especially praised in the Los Angeles Times.
“As a social lady, Kay Francis is as seductive and elegant as ever. She endows the role with great seriousness and naturalness. "
Web links
- Undoing one day in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Background information
swell
- Lynn Kear & John Rossman - Kay Francis: A Passionate Life and Career - McFarland & Company, 2006; ISBN 0-7864-2366-8 .
- Scott O'Brien - Kay Francis: I Can't Wait to Be Forgotten. Her Life on Stage and Film - BearManor Media, 2006; ISBN 1-59393-036-4 .
Footnotes
- ↑ Kay Francis as the society woman is alluring and poised as ever and brings great sincerity and feeling to the role.