It's ironic that most of the remakes of the iconic Warner Brothers films are B movies at best, bottom of the bill, with the second string players and under 80 minutes. Not this remake of "One Way Passage" which ninety plus years later is still considered one of the most romantic movies ever made. A list players Merle Oberon and George Brent take over the roles originated by Kay Francis and William Powell, and as critics declared at the time perfectly cast.
The paradise cocktail is back as the doomed Dan and Joan face their final curtain when they return to the United States. Brent has an appointment with the electric chair, being escorted by Pat O'Brien back to San Quentin, while Oberon is grabbing at some last bits of joy as a dying young woman. Neither one knows of the other one's secrets and they grab every chance to be alone together with help from Frank McHugh and Binnie Barnes, expert con-artists with hearts of gold.
There's also Geraldine Fitzgerald as Oberon's best friend, basically playing the same part. She had played with Bette Davis in "Dark Victory" the year. She's a new character, while McHugh Gets to repeat his role from the original, amusingly so, and Barnes plays the phony countess immortally played by Aileen MacMahon, going after O'Brien and falling for him. Barnes is great, but lacks the wide eyed earth mother that MacMahon exhuded in a full set of aces.
The iconic original music is there too. While this is definitely worth seeing (especially if you haven't seen the original), it's half an hour longer so it's not exactly as speedy. But with the magic of what happens every time the two doomed lovers break their glass, the film manages to still be quite moving at the end. Handsomely filmed, although I wonder why there were two directors credited.
The paradise cocktail is back as the doomed Dan and Joan face their final curtain when they return to the United States. Brent has an appointment with the electric chair, being escorted by Pat O'Brien back to San Quentin, while Oberon is grabbing at some last bits of joy as a dying young woman. Neither one knows of the other one's secrets and they grab every chance to be alone together with help from Frank McHugh and Binnie Barnes, expert con-artists with hearts of gold.
There's also Geraldine Fitzgerald as Oberon's best friend, basically playing the same part. She had played with Bette Davis in "Dark Victory" the year. She's a new character, while McHugh Gets to repeat his role from the original, amusingly so, and Barnes plays the phony countess immortally played by Aileen MacMahon, going after O'Brien and falling for him. Barnes is great, but lacks the wide eyed earth mother that MacMahon exhuded in a full set of aces.
The iconic original music is there too. While this is definitely worth seeing (especially if you haven't seen the original), it's half an hour longer so it's not exactly as speedy. But with the magic of what happens every time the two doomed lovers break their glass, the film manages to still be quite moving at the end. Handsomely filmed, although I wonder why there were two directors credited.