Broken Lullaby (1932)

A French violinist (Phillips Holmes) returns from WWI haunted by the death of a German soldier (Tom Douglas) he killed. Determined to make amends, he travels to the dead soldier's hometown to ask forgiveness but unable to confess what he did, he tells them he was a friend of the soldier in pre war Paris. His guilt only becomes worse when the family takes him in. Based on the play L'HOMME QUE J'AI TUE by Maurice Rostand and directed by Ernst Lubitsch (TROUBLE IN PARADISE). While there are things to admire about the film, overall I found it a heavy handed clunker. The movie's biggest flaw is Holmes as the protagonist, his performance is shockingly bad (he was pretty much a stiff in AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY too). The film's pacing, especially in the first half, is sluggish. On the plus side, its anti war message is strong and relevant and Lionel Barrymore as the dead soldier's father has a potent speech about the impact of war on both sides. The film was remade in 2016 by Francois Ozon and is a far superior movie. With Nancy Carroll, Louise Carter, Zasu Pitts and Lucien Littlefield.