Fair drama set in France and around the horse racing circuit in the US centered around a contest of wills between gentlemen who earn their living by betting on the outcome of horse races. Ricardo Cortez as Diamond Johnny Silk does well as the protagonist vs. an equally capable John Halliday, playing Vincent Dorval, as the antagonist. As the story opens, Silk has taken Dorval and his partner Joe Farley for a quarter of a million. Dorval schemes and wins back a like amount.
The fem fatale is Mary Astor, playing Martha, a American who has failed to make it as an artist in Paris and who is about to turn to street walking to earn enough to eat. Dorval rescues her, makes her into a "lady who glitters" and palms her off to Silk as a countess. Silk falls in love and Martha marries him despite not being in love to avoid returning to a life of hopelessness. What is clever in the writing is that Dorval assumes that Martha eventually will fall in love with Silk and manages to dupe her into betraying her husband anyway.
Martha cannot contain herself and confesses all to Silk who spurns her for ruining him. Martha in turn realizes that Silk only loved her because she was a countess. This sets the scene for the finale at the big race where Golden Lad can either win back Silk's losses or ruin him forever. The outcome is in doubt until the very end and there are some great shots of horse racing down to the wire. Recommended.
The fem fatale is Mary Astor, playing Martha, a American who has failed to make it as an artist in Paris and who is about to turn to street walking to earn enough to eat. Dorval rescues her, makes her into a "lady who glitters" and palms her off to Silk as a countess. Silk falls in love and Martha marries him despite not being in love to avoid returning to a life of hopelessness. What is clever in the writing is that Dorval assumes that Martha eventually will fall in love with Silk and manages to dupe her into betraying her husband anyway.
Martha cannot contain herself and confesses all to Silk who spurns her for ruining him. Martha in turn realizes that Silk only loved her because she was a countess. This sets the scene for the finale at the big race where Golden Lad can either win back Silk's losses or ruin him forever. The outcome is in doubt until the very end and there are some great shots of horse racing down to the wire. Recommended.