In the 1930s, Hollywood remade pictures at an astounding rate. Often, only three to five years after the original film was made, the same studio would remake the film--and rarely were the two versions that different--just the cast. Now if the original film were somehow seriously flawed and the remake corrected that, I could understand, but too often, like the saying goes, "when you've seen one, you've seen them all". In the case of "One Way Passage", eight years later the film was remade with George Brent and Merle Oberon ("'Til We Meet Again (1940)"). While Brent and Oberon were fine actors and they gave it their best, the bottom line is that the original is pretty much the same film...only better.
In this film, William Powell plays a man wanted for murder who has been hopping the world trying to avoid the law. The film begins with him finally being caught by a nice but somewhat dim-witted detective (Warren Hymer--who made a career out of playing slow-witted guys). So, he books passage for them both to return from the Orient to America so Powell can serve his sentence--the death penalty! On board the ship, Powell is attracted to lovely Kay Francis. She does not know he's a condemned man, nor does he know that she's dying from a "Hollywood Disease"--a fatal illness that has very few symptoms, keeps you looking great and usually is unnamed! Both fall in love and spend all their time together--even though their love is fated to end before its time. There's quite a bit more to it than this, but I don't want to spoil the film, so I'll say no more about the plot.
The bottom line is that the film is original and extremely artistic. The music and soft cinematography work wonderfully together to make a very sad but romantic film. The only negatives are the impossibility of the story--if you think about it, it really doesn't seem possible. But, if you suspend your sense of disbelief, you'll be rewarded with a lovely film.
In this film, William Powell plays a man wanted for murder who has been hopping the world trying to avoid the law. The film begins with him finally being caught by a nice but somewhat dim-witted detective (Warren Hymer--who made a career out of playing slow-witted guys). So, he books passage for them both to return from the Orient to America so Powell can serve his sentence--the death penalty! On board the ship, Powell is attracted to lovely Kay Francis. She does not know he's a condemned man, nor does he know that she's dying from a "Hollywood Disease"--a fatal illness that has very few symptoms, keeps you looking great and usually is unnamed! Both fall in love and spend all their time together--even though their love is fated to end before its time. There's quite a bit more to it than this, but I don't want to spoil the film, so I'll say no more about the plot.
The bottom line is that the film is original and extremely artistic. The music and soft cinematography work wonderfully together to make a very sad but romantic film. The only negatives are the impossibility of the story--if you think about it, it really doesn't seem possible. But, if you suspend your sense of disbelief, you'll be rewarded with a lovely film.