Captain Corliax of the LAFAYETTE (Walter Huston) has a very attractive wife, Lottie Corliax (Lil Dagover). She has had previous relations with his executive officer Bromberg (John Wray) and a junior officer, D'Ortelles (Warren William). She wants to remain loyal too her Husband, but feels ignored being drawn back to D'Ortelles and repulsed by Bromberg. A Naval battle intrudes upon all of this and in the end there is NO happy ending for anybody. Watch and find out the details.Strong cast supports the film. Lottie Corliax a popular German Actress is attractive and seductive, if She had stayed over here (Hollywood) might have rivaled Garbo or Dietrich. Huston and William did what needed too be done, acted like professional Naval Officers. As for John Wray, he is just as big a weasel in this film as he was as Himmelstoss in ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930).The SFX are credible done for the time and the Naval battle a fair representation of early 20th Century Sea combat. The LAYFAYETTE described in the film as a Battle-Cruiser would more correctly be called a Armored Cruiser. A type totally obsolete by 1914. In the film represented by full sized sets a large scale model and some pick up shots of ship activity from a Colorado class standard Battleship. The model taking its inspiration from the EDGAR QUINET class Armored Cruiser. Just like in the real conflict, the LAYFAYETTE showed little resistance to underwater attack and succumbed fairly quickly too her Central Powers opponent. France was very lucky She had Great Britain and its Royal Navy on Her side. Her Navy would have been no match for the powerful German Fleet.

Lil Dagover is a ship captain's wife, half is age, and a reputation to boot. Of course, she wants to be a faithful wife, but her spouse (an excellent Walter Huston) is too busy being called away on naval business. She's the subject of lustful unwanted advances from sleazy naval officer John Wray, but Huston's right hand man (Warren William) rescues her from him on several occasions. Coincidently, World War I is declared on the night of a shipboard party and a drunken Dagover finds a major hangover when she is left behind when the ship sets off for battle. This leads to a melodramatic plot twist where the ship is torpedoed and Huston is put on court martial for claiming the torpedoing ship had sent friendly secret codes. Will wifey and injured best pal William be able to save him from career suicide without ruining her marriage or further besmirching her reputation? Not if the jealous Wray has his way! Fast-moving romantic melodrama has enough sexual innuendo to fill a dozen pre-code films but suffers from the presence of a rather ineffectual leading lady who appears to be slightly mannish. There's a nice party sequence where Huston ends up in the arms of amorous portly socialite Maude Eburne and a twist in court that is downright over-the-top. It also features a bittersweet downer of an ending that leaves a lot of unanswered questions, but the presence of the ultra talented Walter Huston rises this above mediocrity.

Woman from Monte Carlo, The (1932)** (out of 4) Warner melodrama about a Captain (Walter Houston) in the Navy who is about to enter the start of WWI not knowing that his wife (Lil Dagover) has not only a secret past but she's also carrying on a relationship with her husband's Lieutenant (Warren William). After a tragic event aboard the ship, the Captain finds himself in trouble and the only witness (John Wray) to the events has his own agenda. Despite many familiar faces to film buffs, THE WOMAN FROM MONTE CARLO has been pretty much forgotten to time and if anyone does remember it it's probably for the top-billed Indonesian actress Dagover. It's clear that Warner was hoping they had found their own Greta Garbo type as Dagover gives off that sultry voice and the film wastes no time at showing off her legs. In her opening sequence we see her drag herself out of bed and of course her nightgown lifts up long enough to give viewers a good look at her legs. This here is about the most excitement you're going to get for nearly an hour as everything in the middle of the film is nothing more than boring dialogue as we see the three lead characters go back and forth about themselves. We have the Captain who begins to think that he's more committed to the Navy than his actual wife. We have the questionable wife who loves her husband but also another man. We have the other man who wants to protect the woman he loves. We then have a fourth character who of course is the real snake. The screenplay never really makes any of the characters all that interesting and a little energy or at least passion would have helped things. Director Michael Curtiz is pretty bland in terms of the visuals as there's nothing too good looking here and I'd say that the cinematography is pretty bland as well. I didn't think Curtiz did a very good job at building up any of the personal drama going on but he does manage to make for one great sequence. The highlight of the movie is a pretty good action sequence where the ship comes under fire. The effects are very impressive even today and the sinking of the ship manages to contain some nice drama as well. I thought Dagover was pretty good in her role as she perfectly sold the sexuality of the part but I thought she was also believable as the woman torn between two men. Huston doesn't get much to do but he's always fun to watch. William is good in his part but I think it's clear to say that it should have still been played by someone else. The actor is just too strong to play such a "simple" person and the French accent is constantly going in and out. John Wray makes for a good villain and we also have George E. Stone in a small part. Film buffs might want to check this out for its director and cast but sadly the end result isn't nearly as good as one would have hoped for.

Sporting a plot with gaping holes (one of them large enough to accommodate a battleship), The Woman from Monte Carlo (1931) is more than somewhat disappointing. We waited years to catch up this one. Now it's finally available; but although it has some great moments – principally contributed by John Wray and occasionally by Lil Dagover – the preposterous plot and peculiarly lethargic performance by Warren William undermine its appeal. Nonetheless, although occasionally ill-treated by photographer Ernest Haller, Dagover works hard to build up credibility. Alas, her efforts are sabotaged, largely by Warren William but also by Walter Huston. Admittedly, the admiral is supposed to be a dull old stick, but in my book that doesn't mean he has no charisma whatever. (Incidentally, the studio's credits are wrong. Wray is the ship's captain, Huston is an admiral, and William plays an officer called "D'Artelle"). Michael Curtiz's visual flair is also under pressure from the talky script, the predictable plot and its lifeless characters. All in all, The Woman from Monte Carlo rates as a must-see for Lil Dagover (and John Wray) fans, but little more than a melodramatic curiosity for everyone else.