By 1935 Barbara Stanwyck was Warner Brother's female equivalent of James Cagney, a star they could count on to pump out 3 or 4 quality pictures a year. In "The Woman in Red", Stanwyck notably keeps a short leash on her emotions, internalizing to a large degree her frustration at "not being good enough" for her husband's old money family, and not being able to respond to the deliciously evil sarcasm and machinations of Genevieve Tobin's "Nicko"; happily, though, before the quick 68 minutes are up she has exploded a number of times to satisfyingly tell everybody off who deserves it.
Now this is a tough drama to really get into, initially; the tension completely depends on us understanding that in the early 20th century, someone who was a "professional rider", ie. someone who got paid to ride a rich horse-owner's horse in a show, was socially quite inferior to the horse-owners themselves. Thus Stanwyck, a "professional rider", would always be the target of insult and derision by the wealthy snobs around her - including her husband's entire family. This doesn't really resonate today. But we can pretend.
Gene Raymond, who plays the wealthy Johnny Wyatt, scion of the Long Island Wyatts, actually ends up being quite sympathetic; with his ridiculous boyish charm and blond hair, he convinces Stanwyck to marry him after knowing her for only a few days, and we really expect this to end up badly - but it doesn't. Corny? Maybe. So sue me, I am a sucker for happy endings!
Finally, the courtroom scene at the end is quite well played. The actor playing the prosecutor plays his man brutally - that is, he is relentless and a little cruel. Well done.
Don't expect too too much, and enjoy this brisk number from First National Pictures.
Now this is a tough drama to really get into, initially; the tension completely depends on us understanding that in the early 20th century, someone who was a "professional rider", ie. someone who got paid to ride a rich horse-owner's horse in a show, was socially quite inferior to the horse-owners themselves. Thus Stanwyck, a "professional rider", would always be the target of insult and derision by the wealthy snobs around her - including her husband's entire family. This doesn't really resonate today. But we can pretend.
Gene Raymond, who plays the wealthy Johnny Wyatt, scion of the Long Island Wyatts, actually ends up being quite sympathetic; with his ridiculous boyish charm and blond hair, he convinces Stanwyck to marry him after knowing her for only a few days, and we really expect this to end up badly - but it doesn't. Corny? Maybe. So sue me, I am a sucker for happy endings!
Finally, the courtroom scene at the end is quite well played. The actor playing the prosecutor plays his man brutally - that is, he is relentless and a little cruel. Well done.
Don't expect too too much, and enjoy this brisk number from First National Pictures.