Synopsis
Kitty Darling (Morgan), a vaudeville headliner, has sent her daughter, April (Peers), to a convent school. When April reaches seventeen, Morgan's boyfriend, Hitch Nelson (Mellish, Jr.), demands that she come live with them so that Kitty will have more money to spend on him. The innocent daughter loves her mother, but is repelled by Kitty's degrading vaudeville act. Hitch, now Kitty's husband, coaches April so she can dance in the show. To help her mother financially, April reluctantly becomes a dancer. One night April meets an equally innocent sailor, Tony (Wadsworth) and they fall in love. Kitty blesses their marriage plans, but Hitch tells April that Kitty is too old to work and will soon need her income. April sends Tony away. Kitty, realizing that she is blocking her daughter’s happiness, takes poison. At the theater, she dies as Joan hugs and kisses Tony, who has returned to her.
Discussion
In Applause, director Ruben Mamoulian utilizes techniques that were uncommon for early sound films. He is especially creative in the use of a mobile camera, taking it outside for views of the skyline of New York City and following the characters onto the streets. The realistic sets emphasize the shabby condition of the family’s apartment and of the vaudeville theater where they work.
Mamoulian had been directing on Broadway for several years before he directed Applause, his first film, at the Paramount Astoria Studio in New York City. He soon moved to Hollywood where he directed a succession of notable films including Love Me Tonight (1932) and Queen Christina (1933). His films made after 1935 are less effective than his earlier work, primarily due to dull scripts and less compelling mise-en-scène. Independent and strong-minded, Mamoulian often clashed with producers, and his film output declined after 1938. He continued directing on Broadway into the 1950s, including the hit musicals Oklahoma (1943) and Carousel (1945).
A notable cabaret singer, Helen Morgan established her name on Broadway in Show Boat (1927) and Sweet Adeline (1929). Her superb performances in Applause and James Whales' 1936 film version of Show Boat comprise her major film work. Morgan's life was plagued by alcoholism, and she died in 1941, at the early age of 41. In Applause, Morgan’s facial features and makeup give her the appearance of a middle-aged woman, although she was only 29.