Woman to Woman (1929)

By CinemaSerf

Betty Compson reprises her role from the silent 1923 version of this rather sad tale of a young girl ("Lola") who meets and falls in love with British soldier "David" (George Barraud) in Paris. He is swiftly sent to the Western front where he suffers injuries that cause him severe amnesia. Both proceed with their lives - she believing him killed, he having no memory of her at all - until, one night at the theatre he sees her sing a song and his memory quickly restores. Sadly, though, they cannot simply pick up where they left off. She has a young son (his) and he is stuck in a loveless marriage. Add to their predicaments the fact that she has a weak heart and... I much preferred the silent version. Though this is adequate, the production is really quite static. The camera never moves - even when there are theatrical numbers on screen, and the dialogue is a bit block and tackle. Still, Juliette Compton is quite effective as his wife "Vesta" and the ending would bring a tear to the eye of the most hardened cynic.