The Imperfect Lady

This is a surprisingly interesting thriller set in the Oscar Wilde world of 1892 with cheap theatres, ballets and dancers having a hard time in contrast to the highest levels of society with particular aristocrats being careful about not getting contaminated by scandals, which they can't avoid. Ray Milland is a liberal politician driving the Irish issue and the suffrage of women already in 1892, for which he is both furiously attacked by mobs and partly successful, who gets mixed up with Teresa Wright, lovely as usual in a role perfectly fitted for her, as a poor ballet dancer who for her beauty gets into trouble with ungentlemanly men. On one occasion she is saved by Anthony Quinn, a brilliant Spanish pianist in London who is out of work, and gradually finds himself in deep trouble. Only she can save him, but she is then already heavily mixed up with society and politics.

Music plays an important part here, it's practically only Chopin all the way, and at one instance Anthony Quinn performs an absolutely brilliant improvisation on the Nocturne opus 9:2. The action is fast throughout, and the blend between extremely different levels of society in the scandal problem produces an intrigue of lasting interest, growing more exciting all the time. Cedric Hardwicke makes a perfect lord of authority caring only about the particulars of a good name, but he does no harm although he is not to be trifled with. The theatre atmosphere settings of the Music Hall world of the 1890s (as found also in Chaplin's "Limelight") is wonderful and what will be the last thing you will forget about this film.