IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
World War I veterans roam Paris, drinking and admiring a woman they recently met.World War I veterans roam Paris, drinking and admiring a woman they recently met.World War I veterans roam Paris, drinking and admiring a woman they recently met.
Johnny Mack Brown
- Bill Talbot
- (as John Mack Brown)
Elliott Nugent
- Francis
- (as Elliot Nugent)
Luis Alberni
- Spectator at Bullfight
- (uncredited)
Herbert Bunston
- Man on Train
- (uncredited)
Yola d'Avril
- French Party Girl at Cafe
- (uncredited)
Jay Eaton
- Extra in Claridge Bar
- (uncredited)
George Irving
- Military Doctor
- (uncredited)
Wallace MacDonald
- Officer at Hospital
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOn 21 October 1931 (after the film's release) a musical adaptation called "Nikki," by John Monk Saunders, opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA, and had 39 performances. The opening night cast included Fay Wray as Nikki, Cary Grant as Cary Lockwood and Douglass Montgomery as Shep Lambert.
- GoofsDuring the sequence in the bullfight ring in Lisbon, the footage of the actual bullfight is stock filmed during the silent era at the then-standard speed of 16 frames per second. Spliced into a sound film and projected at the sound-standard 24 frames per second, it looks unnaturally fast.
- Quotes
Military Doctor: Well, there they go. Out to face life. And their whole training was in preparation for death.
- ConnectionsFeatured in TCM Guest Programmer: U.S. Critics (2010)
Featured review
Masterful Picture of Post War Despair
I came across this unheralded early William Dieterle film a while back and it blew me away. Quite an astonishing film for a 1931. I believe it was Dieterle's first Hollywood outing. It's a "Sun Also Rises"-like story of several ex-WWI American fliers living, relaxing and drinking in Paris and the wacky, free-spirited woman they "adopt" into their group. A truly unusual film--the dialogue is almost entirely in non sequitors which gives it an almost ahead-of-its time feel. The editing and the frenetic energy of it all are spectacular. It offers an accurate and immediate picture of post-war disillusionment of its time, the confused emotional/psychological state of the characters, much the same way Henry King's 1957 "Sun Also Rises" captured 1950s post-WWII mentality.
Dieterle is a talented stylist, and it shows all the way through, using fast-moving and inventive camera work. And it's beautifully photographed in that "German-looking" Expressionism early-1930s style.
The performances are top-notch. Richard Barthelmess is excellent as Cary Lockwood. Helen Chandler is quite distinctive as the leading lady Nikki. And I especially like David Manners in this film. He's one of the forgotten leading men of the 30s. Manners is best known today for his appearances in the Universal horror films, but he made a wide range of films--one of my favorites is his scrupulous secretary in love with a glamorous Kay Francis in Dieterle's other unheralded classic of the early 30s, "Man Wanted."
Dieterle is a talented stylist, and it shows all the way through, using fast-moving and inventive camera work. And it's beautifully photographed in that "German-looking" Expressionism early-1930s style.
The performances are top-notch. Richard Barthelmess is excellent as Cary Lockwood. Helen Chandler is quite distinctive as the leading lady Nikki. And I especially like David Manners in this film. He's one of the forgotten leading men of the 30s. Manners is best known today for his appearances in the Universal horror films, but he made a wide range of films--one of my favorites is his scrupulous secretary in love with a glamorous Kay Francis in Dieterle's other unheralded classic of the early 30s, "Man Wanted."
helpful•254
- Kalaman
- Jun 5, 2004
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Single Lady
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 16 minutes
- Color
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