Although there have historically been tacitly sanctioned (and highly delimited) incorporations of the world's oldest profession into society, the best one can say is that it was tolerated. And then, the women who engaged in it were usually seen as tainted, incapable of the fidelity required to sustain a marriage and its concomitant family life. Periods of economic instability/deprivation have often resulted in people going onto the street to get what money they can to survive, something I'm reasonably certain was the case in 1930's America. All of that longwindedness to say that this was the basic setup for this Pre-Code film, with Carole Lombard playing a former prostitute and Pat O'Brien the man willing to take a chance on her. I felt that the melodrama that came out of that, with an assist from some classic misunderstanding, was quite organic and believable. Although better known for comedic roles later, Carole Lombard did an excellent job in this dramatic role and had good chemistry with Pat O'Brien. The rest of the film was also good, although the ending --like many of this era-- felt a bit rushed and unearned. But then again, when there's tragedy all around you, why not have an escape in motion pictures? Overall, I liked this, and it ended up being one of the better titles in the Columbia Pictures Pre-Code collection.
Review of Virtue
