Smart Woman

In her middle-age, the charming comedienne Constance Bennett, a big star in the early 1930s, both starred and produced this 1948 post-war film. Her company spared no money on this film's excellent production values. Released by Allied Artists, once Monogram, this doesn't look at all like one of their usual cheapies. The sets and set-dressing, the casting of all major and minor roles, are up to the best big studio standards, particularly in the unusual shadowy B&W cinematography of Stanley Cortez, best known for similar lighting in The Magnificent Ambersons. Sadly, despite the many excellent talents involved before and behind the camera, it all doesn't go together. The Russian-born director, Edward Blatt, does a competent job, but it's not his fault. Blame it ultimately on a script that tries too hard to mix romance, courtroom drama, suspense, and comic relief. Brian Ahern and Constance don't quite create enough heat to make the love story work. The rest of the film is just ordinary.