Ah yes, the old "he killed her because he loved her" defense. A wife cheats on her husband and he has a "right to avenge his honor," a literal quote from the protagonist. The attitude this film takes (or the mirror it holds up to 1933, if you will) is unfortunate, because it mars an interesting premise, some fine performances, and skilled directing. Despite the misogyny, I thought this small pre-Code film which flies by in 69 minutes was worth watching.

To open things, a society woman cheating on her husband is followed by him and murdered. Despite her small part, Gloria Stuart at 23, 64 years before Titanic, is enchanting. There's something romantic and dreamy about her scene with Walter Pidgeon, even though she's committing adultery, which is a distinctly pre-Code impression. Her husband admits to the crime and is then represented by a sharp lawyer (Frank Morgan) and his crack team (Jean Dixon and Charley Grapewin).

Where the film gets interesting is when the lawyer's wife (Nancy Carroll) begins acting in ways that eerily resemble those of the woman who was killed - that is, as she's getting dressed up, it seems as if she's going out to meet a lover, not her friends. His client described his wife at her dressing room table in front of the mirror, humming a tango, getting upset with his affections because it would muss her up, and so it happens with the lawyer, him knowing by her expression in a shocking moment that she reviles him. The transformation Carroll affects is very well done, as her pretty face goes from tenderness to anger brilliantly, and I liked the use of many mirrors in the scene as well. Even the two pairs of lovers (Stuart/Pidgeon and Carroll/Donald Cook) resemble one another, mirror images if you will.

The angst of the two men when they confer as lawyer and client, but also as two cuckolds, is amplified by the light and shadows that director James Whale gives us, which makes the film seem like a forerunner of film noir. The case takes on very dark tones as he pledges to get his client off even if he has to lie to do so, and then to kill his own wife.

While the setup is strong, it falters in how it plays out. As I mention above, there's a theme of women cheating on their husbands and then deserving to die, which is unpleasant. Even in its minor characters we see this. Early on, a prisoner looking out of a strange subterranean cell has no qualms over having killed his wife, and hopes she's now in hell. Later, when a man showing up to the court for his own case involving his longtime sweetheart's lawsuit involving "breach of promise" is told by the bailiff that this case involves murder, he says it's a "very good idea." Women are also shown to be crowding the courtroom and amorously clamoring to see the murderer. Women, ya gotta watch 'em and keep 'em in line, right?

It's in Morgan's character and his impassioned defense of the murderer that we see it most of all, however. He talks about a "personal law," an "unwritten law" of vengeance a betrayed husband may mete out, and then challenges the jury:

"Most of you, perhaps all of you, believe you know at this moment where your wife or husband is, for faith is the greatest element in love. And exclusiveness of possession is all that makes marriage worthwhile. Therefore, ask yourself, what you would do if both of these were destroyed, and if upon leaving here you found the one you loved and trusted disrobing at the bedside of a lover. What would you do?"

There are great performances here - Morgan in his vulnerable, hurt moments as well as his courtroom speech (much as I disliked its contents), and Carroll's as well, showing fear and guilt. Her character itself needed more depth, and the way she has to perform it has to match the way the film ends, but she did very well with the role she had. I just wish this thing had gone some other route, maybe something supernatural based on the similarities of the infidelity and all those mirrors, but unfortunately it slips into becoming a morality tale, something that should be apparent from the title of its 1938 remake, "Wives Under Suspicion."

The murdered woman is played by Gloria Stuart, best known as "old Rose" in the 1997 smash "Titanic", fresh from a series of classic horror movies, and as a favor to the now legendary James Whale, playing the unfaithful wife of Paul Lukas. Catching her with her lover Walter Pidgeon, Lukas offs both and quickly confesses. His defense attorney is a non-blithering Frank Morgan, as far from being the Wizard of Oz as he can be. Morgan defends Lukas with great care, learning what set Lukas off was "the kiss before the mirror", a metaphor for women's vanity that made Lukas both love her and despise her.

Years ago when I first began collecting rare classics, one of my trading buddies highly recommended this, insisting on getting me a copy in no uncertain terms, and seeing it again some 20 years later, I can see why. This film is a masterpiece of suspense and style, masterfully put on celluloid by James Whale who certainly deserves to be better known as an artist rather than just a director of horror films. The wise script draws you in almost immediately, and for attorney Morgan is a look into the future as he learns that his distractions by the case has lead his wife (Nancy Carroll) into the arms of another man (Donald Cook).

Future "Wizard of Oz" co-star Charley Grapewin joins Morgan in a showy minor role as Morgan's outspoken butler. Carroll, one of the great (although almost forgotten) stars of the early talkies, is more than just another gorgeous clotheshorse. In fact, she's exquisite, with sumptuous photography on her as she stares into the mirror. Whale, the Josef Von Sternberg of Universal studios, took filmmaking to the point of being pure art, directing his actors with great fitness, making them subtle one moment and dramatic and filled with fury out of nowhere. The metaphor of the mirror is a powerful one, and this is a film that really deserves an art house rediscovery. "Wives Under Suspicion", a decent remake also directed by Whale, lacks the finesse of this version, but being in the public domain, is easier to find.

Attorney Frank Morgan (as Paul Held) is called upon to defend a friend, doctor Paul Lukas (as Walter Bernsdorf), who has just shot his wife ) to death. After listening to Mr. Lukas describe how he discovered his wife was having an affair, Mr. Morgan sees similar behavior in his own beautiful young wife, Nancy Carroll (as Maria Held). "All men suspect their wives," Morgan says. So, secretly, Morgan follows Ms. Carroll to her lover's arms. Then, Morgan decides to clear his client, and use his closing argument as a rationale for murdering his own unfaithful wife...

"The Kiss Before the Mirror" is a strange, almost offensive, and downright dumb story; but, it's done with a fine director (James Whale) and an interesting cast. Jean Dixon (as Hilda) almost saves it, with her pointed courtroom comment to Morgan. Donald Cook, Walter Pidgeon, and Gloria Stuart are good-looking lovers. From now on, viewers, you must carefully watch how women put on their make-up - it could help you decide whether or not to shoot them (just kidding).

***** The Kiss Before the Mirror (5/4/33) James Whale ~ Frank Morgan, Nancy Carroll, Paul Lukas