| A Lady's Morals (1930) (Mod) from Warner Bros. |
| "This decorous if provocatively titled meeting of two songbirds stars Metropolitan Opera soprano Grace Moore (""The Tennessee Nightingale"") in her film debut portraying legendary 19th-century diva Jenny Lind (""The Swedish Nightingale""). A Lady's Morals is a prime example of highbrow-meets-hokum fluff from the early sound era. Bringing Moore's vibrant voice and charming poise to the screen was an ambitious attempt to launch a new film star and give the new audio technology an exciting workout. The Irving Thalberg production directed by Sidney Franklin is worth the gamble alone for Moore's elegant, clarion-toned Donizetti and Bellini arias. If the plot's fictions (swoony composer Reginald Denny faces blindness as a result of his infatuation) creak, its one biographical nod - Lind's intersection with showman P.T. Barnum - hits a high note when Wallace Beery barnstorms in near the end. Not a success in its day, this pleasant curio is a harbinger of the acclaim that a switch of studios (plus an Oscar® nomination for One Night of Love) brought Moore three years later."
Price: 21.99  |