A minor work by highly talented Frank Borzage is always worth watching .Coming after "Three comrades" it cannot hold a candle to it.But Margaret Sullavan is featured again as Judy and it's finally her character who sums up Borzage's philosophy in "the shining hour" : a woman whose love is so true and so pure she will do anything to make her husband happy ,even if she's got to give everything she's got even her own life.
The screenplay often recalls "Waterloo Bridge" (the first version was made in the early thirties ,the Leigh/Le Roy version was released later in 1939): a plebeian (Crawford) is an intruder in a posh aristocratic milieu.But she is a dancer ,not a prostitute !The only person who wants to get rid of her is old sister Hannah ,still a spinster,but the true reason is not that she's not in the same league (the tea scene is revealing) but that she stole her brother from her.Hannah is an over possessive sister ,in love with Henry ,Fay Bainter's performance leaves no doubt about it.There's a similar relationship in Hitchcock highly underrated "Marnie " (1964) between Sean Connery and Diane Baker.
The screenplay often recalls "Waterloo Bridge" (the first version was made in the early thirties ,the Leigh/Le Roy version was released later in 1939): a plebeian (Crawford) is an intruder in a posh aristocratic milieu.But she is a dancer ,not a prostitute !The only person who wants to get rid of her is old sister Hannah ,still a spinster,but the true reason is not that she's not in the same league (the tea scene is revealing) but that she stole her brother from her.Hannah is an over possessive sister ,in love with Henry ,Fay Bainter's performance leaves no doubt about it.There's a similar relationship in Hitchcock highly underrated "Marnie " (1964) between Sean Connery and Diane Baker.