One Way Passage (1932)

On an ocean liner traveling from Hong Kong to San Francisco, two people fall in love. But each has a secret they are keeping from the other. He (William Powell) is an escaped prisoner who will go to San Quentin for murder when they reach San Francisco. She (Kay Francis) has a terminal illness with only months to live. Sounds positively syrupy, doesn't it? Surprisingly, it's not. The director Tay Garnett (THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE) keeps a tight rein on the sentiment. The relationship between Powell and Francis is kept muted and rooted in reality and the subtle ending is quite touching without being mawkish. Three supporting characters provide some much needed levity and humor. Aline MacMahon as a con woman posing as a French countess, Frank McHugh as an annoying (both the actor and the character) petty thief and Warren Hymer as the cop returning Powell to San Francisco who falls for MacMahon's "countess". Remade in 1940 as TIL WE MEET AGAIN.