Infamous as the film that sank Grace Moore's film career as it was starting, this musical biography has been unjustly maligned over the years. True, the fictional romance between famed Swedish soprano Jennie Lind (Moore) and a pianist (Reginald Denny) who goes blind was hokey even in 1930. But the also features a powerhouse cameo by Wallace Beery, getting his first crack at the role of famed showman P.T. Barnum, who brought Lind to the states. Beery would return to the role in 1934's The Mighty Barnum, with Virginia Bruce as Lind. The real attraction is Moore. Although uncertain as an actress, the singer dubbed "The Tennessee Nightingale" lights up when she sings, more than matching the legendary "Swedish Nightingale." MGM provides some new songs for Moore, but the real highlights, and the film's chief point of interest, are the operatic arias. Performing "Rataplan" from Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment and "Casta Diva" from Norma, Moore displays the supple voice and stage presence that made her one of the Met's greatest stars. Although the weak plot and sound problems made this film a box-office dud, Moore would get another shot at stardom when Columbia brought her back four years later in the much more successful One Night of Love.

By Frank Miller