Bad Girl

The title of Bad Girl is oddly inaccurate. Although this 1931 film was released in the pre-Code era when studios pushed the boundaries of film censorship, there is no "bad girl" in this love story set in the hardscrabble world of Depression-era New York City. Dorothy (Sally Eilers), a professional model, comes off as tough and cynical but she's really a romantic who has simply grown a tough shell in order to deal with the constant barrage of men making passes ("Don't guys ever think of anything else?" she asks after getting hit on yet again). Eddie (James Dunn), a radio repairman saving to open his own shop, comes off as a mix of Horatio Alger and street-smart wise guy but his swagger and smart talk hides a soft heart and sentimentality. They meet-cute on Coney Island, clash immediately, and then marry before they really get to know one another. The script is an odd mix of blue-collar drama and melodramatic contrivance; the couple end up making unfounded assumptions about what the other really wants and they hide their feelings, which creates friction when Dorothy discovers that she's pregnant. Director Frank Borzage was the great romantic of Hollywood's golden age, a filmmaker whose belief in the power of love was almost spiritual, and he won his second Academy Award for Best Director for this film, which also won the Oscar for Screenplay Adaptation. Debuting on Blu-ray, extras include audio commentary by film historian Kent Jones. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)