1h 16min. // A vivacious Southern belle flits from one admirer to the next, delighting in the harmless sport of flirtation. Her father, a proud small-town doctor, expects her to settle on a respectable suitor, and he has his eye on a polished young man who fits neatly into his social ambitions. But the young woman’s heart is captured instead by a rough-hewn, sincere backwoodsman whose lack of refinement is matched only by the depth of his devotion.
As their secret romance deepens, the clash between passion and propriety grows impossible to ignore. The doctor’s stern disapproval turns to open hostility when he discovers the affair, and a line is drawn between respectable society and the man his daughter loves. Gossip, jealousy, and wounded pride swirl through the community, placing unbearable pressure on the lovers and pushing the family toward tragedy.
When an impulsive confrontation spirals out of control, the aftermath lands in a courtroom where the young woman’s character, loyalties, and very truthfulness are put on trial. Faced with brutal public scrutiny and a legal system eager for a simple villain, she must decide whether to protect her family’s honor or defend the memory of the man who awakened her heart. The story unfolds as both a melodramatic romance and a tense moral drama, steeped in Southern atmosphere and early sound-era theatricality.
Directed by: Sam Taylor, H. Bruce Humberstone
Writing Credits: John Grey, Sam Taylor
Starring: Mary Pickford, George Irving, Matt Moore, Johnny Mack Brown, Henry Kolker
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Awards:
WON. Academy Award for Best Actress 1930. Best Actress. Mary Pickford.
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