Smilin' Through

The first talkie version of the first-rate weepie stars Norma Shearer as Kathleen, a young Irish woman who, on her wedding day, takes the bullet that jealous suitor Kenneth Wayne (Fredric March) had meant for her groom, John (Leslie Howard). A generation later, fate would find Kathleen’s niece (Shearer, again, uncredited) falling in love with Kenneth’s son (March, again, uncredited). Romantic fantasy based on a play by Jane Cowl and Jane Murfin also stars O.P. Heggie, Ralph Forbes, Beryl Mercer. 100 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.