Marked Woman [1937] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

"The law isn't made for people like us".......2006-07-03

Marked Woman was made in 1937 and featured the wonderful Bette Davis in a gritty, less than glamorous role. The movie is all about crime, the mobster underworld and hard-bitten alluring hostesses. There's violence and cruelty to women and murder, with most of the more grueling scenes taking place behind closed doors. One can just imagine the sensors take on this movie - they were almost certainly appalled at the subject matter, which was probably quite provocative for the time.

The story pretty much centers on the racketeering at the New York Club Intimé and the group of "hostesses" who work there. Underworld huckster Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Cianelli) has acquired the Club after renovations, and he wants to make sure that the girls are giving him the appropriate cut and that they are fulfilling their duties of encouraging men to spend on champagne and gamble in the secret casino hidden in the back room.

Mary Dwight Strauber (Davis) rooms with a number of hostesses who go along with the new deal, even though they know Vanning has murdered men who think they can trick the club. Mary is well aware that Vanning is up to no good, but her very life is placed on the line when a witness sees her with one of the men who was murdered.

Along with the other girls, Mary is hauled down to the DA's office and forced into a lineup. Mary then gets an offer of protection from David Graham (Humphrey Bogart), and she agrees to help, only to have her reputation as a professional party girl backfire on her - now she's got her picture in the paper, her reputation forever ruined.

There's a trial and a Mary gives a bent testimony, mainly because she's terrified of what Vanning might do to her. Things get even more complicated when Mary's innocent sister Betty (Jane Bryan) arrives in town, and not only accidentally gets pulled in on the police raid, but decides to adopt the hostess lifestyle. Disillusioned, she accompanies the least dependable and rather flighty call-girl Emmy Lou (Isabel Jewell) to one of Vanning's parties.

Perhaps the most memorable scene - and the most violent - is when poor Mary gets roughed up by one of Vanning's henchmen. Of course the director Lloyd Bacon wasn't allowed to show anything, so it all takes place in her bedroom, but this ironically gives the scene even more of an impact. Davis is really good here, not just in the one-to-one scenes with Bogart, but also when she's with her group of girls and she really manages to portray Mary's strength and fragility in the same moment. It's a very atypical role for an actress at this time.

Of course, the movie is all about the triumph of women over men who treat them badly and exploit them, and punch them out at the lightest provocation, and you can really feel the social relevance oozing off the screen - even if the full impact of it was tempered by the sensors. All these women must find their inner strength after an initial false boldness and it is only with the help of each other can they band together to eventually take these henchmen down. Mike Leonard July 06.

Average customer rating:

Marked Woman [1937] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Drama | Drama | Categories | DVD | Video

Drama | Classics | Categories | DVD | Video

DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
ASIN: 1419823914
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Customer Reviews:

bob monkhouse.......2006-03-23

I remember his day's on The golden Shot before progressing to television comedian and show host. Wonderful story with wonderful oneliners. worth buying!

Contains one of the best gags in British comedy films........2006-01-26

Bob Monkhouse's brief flirtation with films started with this comedy gem. However, he is outshone by a hilarious performance by Kenneth Connor who deliverys my all time favourite line in film history. I won't mention what he says but it's his answer to how he was able to be sentenced to a woman's prison. Priceless.

Another British comedy gem........2006-01-16

Anyone who enjoys the "sunday afternoon" type of comedy films will enjoy this little classic which features a great performance from Bob Monkhouse and a cameo from Carry On legend Charles Hawtrey. It also stars Bond girl and Carry On Star Shirley Eaton.
If you have seen the brief opening sequence to this on the Monty Python and the Holy Grail DVD and longed to see the film itself, do so!!

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