The Lady From The Sea

This melodrama from 1929 was initially released as a silent movie, with sound being added at a later stage. The film provided an early acting opportunity for Welsh-born Raymond Milland, who would go on to morph into award-winning actor Ray Milland.

Milland plays smouldering fisherman Tom Roberts, who, together with other crew- members of a lifeboat, saves enchanting Frenchwoman Claire le Grange – the sole survivor of a shipwreck on the treacherous Goodwin Sands. Both Tom and Claire sustain injuries during the rescue, and both are looked after in the house of his family. Amongst the members of the household is Tom’s fiancée Rose (Eugenie Amamie), however, due to Tom’s injuries the planned wedding needs to be postponed. During his period of convalescence the flirtatious Claire begins to weave her spell over him and he falls prey to her charms, much to the dismay of the gentle and devoted Rose. However, it is not just Rose who grows increasingly bitter, but Tom’s older brother Dick (Bruce Gordon) accuses his younger sibling of acting selfish and bringing nothing but disgrace over the family. In truth, however, he has set an eye on the French femme fatale himself… and it’s not before long when Claire begins to return the affections. One day, Dick and Claire get flirty inside a cave along the coastline when Tom catches them in flagrante. A bitter fight between the two rival brothers ensues, during which parts of the cave start to crumble, accidentally killing Dick. Shocked and in panic, Tom decides on doing a runner…

The cinematography, especially the scenes capturing the wild and stormy sea, is impressive and atmospheric. Milland with his matinee idol looks somehow indicates that he would go on to become a Hollywood star and an Academy Award winner (for his role in the 1945 movie The Lost Weekend). As far as melodramas go, the story is on a nicely timed pace and the flowing action keeps the interest going.
If there is one problem however, than it’s that one can’t help getting the feeling the film would have worked better if presented as originally intended: as a silent movie! This being the sound version, the dialogue often comes across as rather wooden and contrived, with peculiar pauses between each sentence. In the case of Mexican-French born Mona Goya, who plays Claire la Grange, the ‘sound problem’ is further emphasized courtesy of her accent which, at times, tends to sound more Spanish than French. The film also features Moore Marriott in the role of Old Roberts. Marriott is best known for his comic collaborations with Will Hay and Graham Moffatt through the 1930s.

The Lady From The Sea is released as part of the ‘British Film Collection’, and the DVD contains no bonus material.