Bad Girl (1931)

 Frank Borzage's "Bad Girl"

After the fallout of the Great Depression in 1929, many Americans were facing uncertain financial times. Many films were being made to distract Americans from their economic woes, like new sound-era musicals. However, some films were directly addressing or subtly backdropping these hardships. One such film, "Bad Girl," ended up being a commercial success for this very reason. 

Directed by Frank Borzage, the film stars a woman named Dorothy who falls in love with a man one night, only to be married to him the next day. The film showcases the anxiety and uncertainty of not only starting a new relationship but also having a baby. The couple is constantly disagreeing about what to do in life because every decision they make has to be financially certain. Dorothy's new husband, Eddie, doesn't want to have children because he can't envision bringing a child into this economically destitute world. He also is trying to save his own money to start his own business. However, after hearing Dorothy's anxieties, he spends all his savings on a new apartment for her, much to her chagrin. The two finally end up having a baby and the film ends with their excitement over the child despite an uncertain future.

The script for the film was adapted from a 1928 novel by Vina Delmar. The screenplay was heavily changed due to the studio's discomfort with a "nauseating story of doctors, illnesses, etc." as well as the promiscuity of the female protagonist (as she is a 'bad girl' for one night, gets married the next day, and has a baby soon thereafter). There were so many complications with censorship issues that no filmmaker wanted to touch the production, not even Frank Borzage, who begrudgingly agreed in the end. However, because of the studio's trepidation and unwillingness to get involved, Borzage had far more control over filmmaking. 

Because Borzage had a 'fairly free hand' in production, the film takes a more nuanced approach. A lot of the frills of modern films have been fairly cut away for something more personal and human. Borzage biographer, Herve Dumont says because of these personable touches, the film is "stripped of all conventional ingredients - love triangles, jealousy, sex appeal or crimes - but buoyed by the cheerful exuberance that apparently effortlessly metamorphoses a mixture of little nothings into a gem of subtlety and charm." The film had a far more 'real' element than most Hollywood films at the time. Because of this, Borzage earned himself an Academy Award for Best Director, his second. 

The film was so successful that it shot both leads, Sally Eilers and James Dunn, to stardom. The two went on to star in four more films together, while Dunn starred in a similar shoot-off called "Bad Boy."