Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The Sin of Nora Moran (1933)

The Sin of Nora Moran is an extraordinary movie, a Noir drama told in non-linear manner with numerous flashbacks, the film is said to have been an influence on Orson Welles for Citizen Kane.

Nora Moran (Zita Johann) is a tragic young lady, her life hard and often brutal until she meets rising political star Dick Crawford (Paul Cavanagh) and finally she lives a happy life as his mistress. But then the darkness of her earlier life returns in the shape of her abusive ex Paulino (John Miljan). Later Paulino is found dead. Nora accepts the blame and goes to the electric chair. She didn't do it, but she has kept silent to protect the man she loved...

The film is truly avant garde, the story told through flashbacks, hallucinations, narrations. Of it's time it was truly ground breaking cinema. All the more impressive considering this was a low-budget B-movie.