The Woman Accused (1933)

[5]

Nancy Carroll (Hot Saturday) murders an ex-lover after he threatens to put out a hit on her new fiancée (Cary Grant). She and Grant escape on a three day pleasure cruise, but a lawyer friend of the deceased crashes the vacation, determined to bring her to justice. The Woman Accused has a fun set-up, great sets, and beautiful lighting, but only Carroll benefits from the material, with Grant and the supporting cast left with one-note performances. While she doesn’t have much screen time, Norma Mitchell is memorable as Carroll’s maid who tries to cover up the crime. The mock trial sequence aboard the cruise ship stretches our suspension of disbelief. The film’s best and most shocking moment comes toward the end, when Cary Grant resorts to horsewhipping the hit-man to make him recant his testimony — a scene almost worth the price of admission. With John Halliday and Louis Calhern.