Night After Night: Mae West just kind of walks in and owns the place

Is it worth your time?

If you like old movies where the pacing feels like it was edited by someone drinking a third martini, sure. If you want a tight, logical plot, go look at The Revolt instead. This is really just a Mae West delivery system. If you aren't into her specific brand of heavy-lidded flirting, you'll probably be bored stiff.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Night After Night (1932) through its definitive frames.

The whole setup is kind of silly. George Raft is playing Joe Anton, a guy who thinks he’s classy because he owns a tuxedo, even if he still acts like he’s about to punch a referee. He’s running a speakeasy in a building that used to be a mansion. The conflict is supposed to be about status, I guess? It feels like the movie is trying to be a drama but keeps tripping over its own feet.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Night After Night (1932) through its definitive frames.

Then Mae West walks in.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Night After Night (1932) through its definitive frames.

She doesn’t just enter a scene; she arrives like she’s claiming territory. She’s only in it for a bit, but the air in the room changes completely. Everything else—the sad rich girl, the boxing background, the booze talk—it all just turns into background noise. She’s playing Maudie Triplett, and honestly, I don’t even remember what her goal was. I just remember her leaning on stuff.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Night After Night (1932) through its definitive frames.

There’s a moment where she’s just standing there, looking at a diamond necklace like it’s a personal insult. It’s glorious. She delivers her lines like she’s bored with the entire concept of conversation, which is exactly the right energy for this movie.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Night After Night (1932) through its definitive frames.

Odd bits and pieces

• The lighting in the speakeasy is so dark I think I missed half the background actors.
• Raft’s suits are immaculate, but his posture makes him look like a tense, coiled spring.
• There’s a scene involving a staircase that lasts way too long. Why are they walking up it so slowly?
• It feels like they started filming two different movies and just taped them together.

The dialogue is often hit-or-miss. For every line that lands, there's another that just sort of thuds on the floor. It’s not as polished as something like The Way of Lost Souls, but that’s kind of the charm, isn't it? It feels like a rough draft that somebody decided was good enough.

Don't go in expecting a masterpiece. It's a snapshot of a time when the censors hadn't quite sharpened their axes yet. Mae West is a riot, and the rest of the film is just... present. It exists. That's fine.

I found myself rewinding just to watch her roll her eyes again. Some of the supporting guys look genuinely terrified of her. I don't blame them one bit. 🍸