Illicit (1931)

A young unmarried couple shock their society friends by openly cohabiting without benefit of marriage. Pressured by the conventions of society, he (James Rennie) desires marriage but she (Barbara Stanwyck) believes marriage ultimately destroys love and prefers their unconventional arrangement. Eventually she gives in but her predictions appear to come true. Directed by Archie Mayo (THE PETRIFIED FOREST), this is one of the more frank of the pre-code films although in the end, it comes down on the side of the conventional societal values. Unlike most pre-code movies which were short and fast and to the point, this one sags a bit. In spite of its relatively brief running time (1 hour, 19 minutes), the characters pontificate and go around in circles and the film could have used more punch. Thank goodness for Stanwyck, who's in almost every scene and manages to hold it together. With Joan Blondell, Ricardo Cortez, Charles Butterworth and Natalie Moorhead.