When we invoke the spirits of the dead, in this case souls who live on because of celluloid, we are able to analyze their identities. In Hollywood films, identity may be shaped considerably by the studio, but I believe the actor's true persona manifests itself, no matter what sort of character he's playing.
As I watched this precode drama from MGM, I absorbed William Haines' energy on screen. He was a major star. Louis Mayer was determined to keep him front and center, because Haines' films made money and the public liked him. But while this film indicates the top notch production values and the amount of success that Haines was surrounded with, you can also pick up on the energy that he is not wholly comfortable.
He has nice chemistry with Madge Evans which probably helped him enjoy making the film as much as possible. You can tell they are friends in real life. But Haines was under fire off screen about his sexual orientation. And probably that part of the studio experience, his being given ultimatums by Mayer to enter into a sham marriage with a woman, was tearing away at him.
So as I processed the film and how well it's made, I also processed a very capable actor in the starring role who may not have really wanted to be there. Or perhaps he wanted to be there but under his own terms. I guess what I am saying is that Haines was not free to be himself, so he was not totally free to dive into the character. His own real life angst gets in the way.
The script is marvelous, and the supporting cast is tremendously good. Especially Karen Morley as Haines' viperish wife who won't agree to a divorce unless there is a huge payoff. Meanwhile the film has some good moments conveying the importance of radio in the lives of everyday people, since the main characters work at a broadcast facility.
It starts as a hodgepodge about the employees' workplace activities, then we see Haines go home and we meet his wife...and a lot of it is kind of trivial at first. Then as Haines tries to extricate himself from a bad marriage, and Evans reaches the breaking point in how much she can endure waiting for him to become fully available to her...it gets grittier. There is plenty of drama when Haines does finally leave his wife. She harasses him for money, and she is accidentally killed.
At this point, it turns into a lovers on the lam story since Haines is afraid the police won't believe his version of events and think he committed cold blooded murder. He takes off with Evans at his side. There are scenes of them roaming the countryside with no prospects for a better life, a la the Joads, until the law does catch up to them.
The last part, where he is carted off by train to begin a short prison sentence for manslaughter, is beautifully played. In these moments Haines focuses on Evans before the locomotive pulls away. As he vanishes into the distance, we get a sense of a troubled guy who may now be able to achieve some sort of resolution and find peace.
