The Virtuous Sin

1930

Action / Drama / Romance / War

4
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 96%
IMDb Rating 5.6/10 10 331 331

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Plot summary

Marya gets friendly with General Platoff in order to save her husband Victor from being executed.

Director

George Cukor Photo
George Cukor

Top cast

Anita Garvin Photo
Anita Garvin as Undetermined Secondary Role
Gordon McLeod Photo
Gordon McLeod as Col. Nikitin
Kay Francis Photo
Kay Francis as Marya Ivanova Sablin
Walter Huston Photo
Walter Huston as Gen. Gregori Platoff
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
740.94 MB
968*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 20 min
Seeds 1
1.34 GB
1440*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 20 min
Seeds 2

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by st-shot 4 / 10

Mortal Sin

Director George Cukor gets his feet wet as a co-director with Louis Gasnier ( Reefer Madness) in The Virtuous Sin, a basically three person melodrama that manages to fail in nearly every department. Featuring an incredulous storyline and unconvincing performances it stumbles from scene to scene while Kay Francis models fur coats and frocks seducing a general (Walter Huston) in attempts to set her husband free from the brig.Soldier, scientist Victor Sablin is on the verge of a medical breakthrough that will save millions but WW1 breaks out and Gen. Platoff (Walter Huston) prioritizes his killing enemy instead. Sablin balks and is tossed in the brig. His wife Marya (Francis) devises a plan to save him by working in a brothel that the General frequents on occasion. It works but unforeseen fallout accompanies.All dressed up with no talent to show, Francis clumsily connives while maintaining naivete, her coquetry hackneyed. Huston is a cantankerous curmudgeon, loud and brash with zero romantic chops. As Marya's husband (eventually in real life as well) Ken McKenna overacts monstrously to every revelation while Jobyna Howland does a dull Mae West brothel madam. Compositionally the scenes are draped in typical Paramount gloss but come across limp much in part to the listless performance of the leads and uninspired direction of one man on the way up and one on the way down. Their conferences together probably showed more drama.
Reviewed by sobaok 6 / 10

Early Cukor Effort Worth Viewing

It's fun watching Kay Francis seduce Russian General Walter Huston in order to save real-life husband Kenneth MacKenna (a scientist) in this early talkie. MacKenna's life is at stake for insubordination (he'd rather cure people than kill them) -- Francis tries a ploy to get husband MacKenna pardoned. She becomes an entertainer at a local brothel (she even sings in her audition with Jobyna Howland). Francis gets real tough with Huston during his pursuit and interest in her. Her portrayal shows the complexity of her emotional conflict as she finds her self falling for the general while trying to hold on to the loyalty she feels for her husband. It's quite a performance and a multi-faceted opportunity that Francis plays to the hilt. Francis and Huston were a good team (4 films together) and it's too bad this one isn't more available to viewers.
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