Another one of the early films made by Bennett and McCrae. Although SHE gets top billing in this one, since she had been working in silents for a few years already. McCrae looks so young, thin, and energetic, as this is one of his earlier, credited roles. It starts as soldier Barry (McCrae) meets nurse Doris (Bennett) during WW I in Britain. They hit it off... they have it off, and soldier Barry goes off to war. This was made just a few years before they enforced any "decency code", so things are made pretty clear without resorting to too much innuendo. The story starts out quite romantic, but it IS wartime, and when Barry is presumed dead, Doris marries another soldier (Paul Cavanagh). When Barry returns, the trouble begins, partly due to the complicated rules for divorce to be granted at the time. and did you SEE the dress Constance was wearing when she is called to the phone and finds out he is still alive?? wacky. Doris lives on her own after the divorce, and visits the baby, but won't move in with Barry. Then the film takes quite a left turn; Doris sees the baby is deceased, and goes over the edge. She heads home to find that Barry is there waiting for her, but certainly a bittersweet ending. Quite a shocker, right at the end of the story. On the plus side, she's back with her original love. According to wikipedia, director Paul Stein had been born in Austria, moved to Hollywood, and later became a Brit citizen in 1938. He also directed "Born to Love", which also shows now and then on TCM. It's pretty good, for an early talkie, but has its ups and downs. More interesting as an early work for McCrae and Bennett.
Review of Born to Love
