It is little wonder that RKO was in such a financial mess in 1934 when this film came out.It is difficult to believe that depression audiences would have wanted to see such turgid drama with a downbeat ending.Furthermore the components of this film were interchangeable with other such film adaptations of the period such as Madame X Back Street Stella Dallas.The lead actresses were also interchangeable such as Ruth Chatterton,Irene Dunne or Kay Fwancis.Up to 1934 there was always an illegitimate baby involved and more often than not the child was adopted by the father often in a loveless marriage which often involved subsequent blackmail and violent death.To me this is just movie-making by numbers.So this film is of historic interest coming at the end of the pre code era but if you have seen other films by one of the sob sisters you will know what is going to happen one reel before it happens.
Review of The Life of Vergie Winters
