Woman to Woman (1929) Review: A whole lot of crying and missing memories

If you are the type who likes a good, messy cry while watching grainy footage, this might be your afternoon sorted.

It’s one of those movies you watch when you want to feel a bit sad about people making terrible choices.

If you hate old-school melodramas where people stare intensely at nothing for a long time, skip this one.

But if you like seeing how they handled "complicated" relationships back in the late 20s, it’s a trip.

The whole thing kicks off in France during the war, which is always a cheerful start.

David is an officer who falls for Deloryse, a ballerina who seems very sweet.

Then he gets shell shock and just... forgets her? 🤨

It’s handled so quickly that I had to rewind to make sure I didnt miss a scene where he hit his head on a specific rock.

He goes back to England, marries a socialite named Vane, and life moves on like he didn't have a whole life in France.

The socialite can’t have kids, which is treated as the biggest tragedy in the history of the world in this movie.

Then the ballerina shows up with a son she named after him.

Betty Compson plays the dancer, and she’s really the only reason to stay tuned for the full runtime.

Her eyes do about 90% of the heavy lifting in the emotional scenes.

The way she looks at David when she realizes he has absolutely no clue who she is... ouch.

It reminds me a bit of the vibe in Unseeing Eyes, where everyone is just suffering in the cold and looking miserable.

There is this one scene where David is sitting in his study and you can see him trying to remember.

He looks like he’s trying to do long division in his head while someone is screaming at him.

The movie doesn't really explain how amnesia works, it just uses it as a blunt plot hammer to break things.

The kid, played by Georgie Billings, is actually pretty natural for a child actor from 1929.

Usually, kids in these old movies are terrifyingly robotic or way too rehearsed.

He mostly just looks confused, which, to be fair, is the only correct reaction to this plot.

There’s a weirdly long shot of a stage performance that feels like it’s just there to pad the runtime.

The costumes are great, though, especially the stage outfits.

Lots of feathers and shiny things that probably looked amazing on the big screen back then.

The conflict between the two women is where the title comes from, obviously.

It’s not as catty as you’d expect from a movie called Woman to Woman.

It’s more... politely devastating? Like a very quiet argument over tea.

If you've seen The Galley Slave, you know how these old dramas love to put women in impossible spots for no reason.

The ending feels a bit rushed, like they realized they were running out of film and needed to go home.

I won't spoil it, but it’s definitely a "bring your own tissues" situation.

One thing that bugged me was the lighting in the office scenes.

It’s so dark you can barely see David’s face half the time, which is annoying.

Maybe that was intentional to show his "dark" mental state? Or maybe they just ran out of bulbs that day. 💡

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a solid piece of history if you care about that.

If you’ve watched Notoriety, this feels a bit more polished than that mess.

But it still has that clunky, early-talkie / late-silent awkwardness that makes it feel dated.

The music helps, even if it is a bit overbearing when people are just drinking coffee.

Sometimes the silence is better for the mood.

There’s a moment where Deloryse just stands by a window and the wind blows her hair and it’s actually beautiful.

It’s a simple shot but it stuck with me more than any of the dramatic dialogue.

Anyway, if you’re bored and want to see some high-tier pining, give it a go.

Just don’t expect a happy ending where everyone gets what they want and goes for ice cream.

That’s not how these movies work at all.

Also, David’s mustache is very distracting throughout the whole war sequence.

It’s so perfectly groomed even when he’s supposed to be in the middle of a mental breakdown.

I wish my hair looked that good after a long day at the office, let alone a war zone.

Check it out if you’re into the genre, but maybe keep a snack handy because it drags in the middle.

The transition from silent to sound was messy for everyone in 1929.

This film is a perfect example of that weird middle ground where nobody knows where to look.

It’s better than Bobbed Hair at least, which was just... strange.

This one at least has a heart you can feel beating under all the melodrama. ❤️