This one was never screened in New York, but it did open in Los Angeles on August 24, 1932. Billed as an update on Gustave Flaubert's first novel, Madame Bovary (1857), it would not have warmed the author's heart at all. It took the painstaking Flaubert four years to write. The movie, on the other hand, was probably filmed in four days. Nevertheless, it does boast good production values – by the humble standards of Poverty Row – and Joyce Compton does deliver a great performance as Bovary/Bailey and, what's even more important, she looks just right for the part. And as for acting, only the lovely Lila Lee runs her close. Director Albert Ray is best known today for the movie he directed immediately after this one, namely The Thirteenth Guest starring Ginger Rogers, although some fans prefer Ray's later film with Ginger, A Shriek in the Night (1933). Anyway, Unholy Love is worth seeing, if only for spirited Compton and the lovely Lila Lee. As the villain, Ivan Lebedeff also scores. On the other hand, Lyle Talbot and H.B. Warner play their parts as if they had both just walked on to the set. They're both competent, but hardly inspiring, let alone charismatic like Compton and Lee. Thus one is available on a very good Alpha DVD.
Review of Unholy Love
