Becky Sharp (1935) - Rouben Mamoulian

Some would hunt out this film for being the frst feature to use three strip Technicolor. I on the other hand was intrigued by its leading lady, the great and under appreciated Miram Hopinks. Hopkins plays the title character, a charming social climber who has a tendency to rack up enormous debts for herself and all the men around her. Adapted from the novel Vanity Fair and a stage play of the same name, Hopkins is delightful in the role. She goes all out, and delivers what may be her best performance, certainly the most expressive. Her work got her an Oscar nomination, in the one and only year 6 nominees were selected. I have not read the novel but the film seems to stem from that classic school of Hollywood adaptations were 100 page passages are reduced to a two minute scene. Being on public domain, there aren't a lot of great prints running around, so the quality of color might not be as vibrant as originally intended. Still Hopkins makes this worthy to watch.

*Becky Sharp was nominated for best actress.