Pros: This film had a good albeit barebones plotline, more like bullet points which needed to be filled in, but still, the plot had a unique twist, turning it from something ordinary into what should have been extraordinary, but wasn't. However, the cast (and its a big one) is all pitch perfect, too bad the screenplay let them down.
Cons: Well, while the plot had the material to be something great, it failed on all accounts. Mary Clay (Lana Turner, in her screen debut) is murdered but we receive no details as to how she was killed, just that her body was found in the basement. And the DA, Andrew Griffin (Claude Rains), not to be confused with Andy Griffith needs big win so he charges northern professor, Robert Hale (Edward Norris) with the crime though there are several more viable suspects, but it was at least nice to see that the African American janitor (Clinton Rosemond) wasn't charged. Still, this film should have been so much better if there was more screen time and that pesky Hays code wasn't a factor.
Recommend: Albeit an important film, no, because it just wasn't good enough for the material and cast it had.
Grade: B
Side Notes;
-Seriously, who murdered Mary Clay? I need to know. My opinion, I think Mary's death was actually a tragic accident. She heard a noise and tripped down the steps, falling to her death. But the autopsy is never revealed.
-Mary's boyfriend (Elisha Cook, Jr.) had been with her for four years and barely kissed her, only in the south in the 1930s would that actually be the case.
-The north and south had different days to celebrate Memorial Day and it was called something different up in the north.
-I find it hard to believe that Hale would hold classes on Memorial Day as he should have aware that the students had the day off of classes.
-Hale is also largely convicted by heresy, public opinion and rumors, which is sad.
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