The great Tallulah Bankhead stars in this pre-code classic as a giddy heiress who must lose everything in the Great Depression before she can find love–a beautiful socialite who’s loveless, shameless, and Faithless. Bankhead stars as wealthy Carol Morgan, who spurns the affections of Bill Wade (Robert Montgomery) because he earns a mere $20,000 a year. But when Morgan loses her fortune in the Depression, rather than accepting the man who truly loves her, she becomes the mistress of a still-wealthy, abusive man she does not love. Morgan’s life spirals downward, until she finally sinks to selling her body on the streets. But her first “customer” turns out to be an understanding policeman who takes her to Wade, who still loves her–and whom Morgan now both appreciates and loves in return. Based on the novel “Tinfoil” by Mildred Cram.

For thoughts on Faithless (1932), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/rA5oSfcdD2k?si=oGDrpsgDeBJ8ChUU&t=567]

Video Quality

Faithless makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Warner Archive with a brand new 1080p master derived from a 4K restoration of the best surviving preservation elements. The label has been putting forth a terrific effort to delve more into the pre-Code era, but understandably some of these films do not have their Original Camera Negatives completely intact. Despite this, you would be hard-pressed to guess as much while watching the picture, as it simply looks terrific. There may be some intermittent softness due to the source, but there is no doubt the utmost care has been put forth in order for this film to look like a million bucks. Warner Archive is one of the most consistent players in the physical media game.

The black-and-white photography courtesy of Oliver T. Marsh embraces the benefits of high definition with natural grain intact. Black levels are nice and deep with no exceptional instances of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is firm, and any potential lingering print damage has disappeared. This new transfer shows off a stellar amount of depth and enhanced detail within both the opulent and destitute production design. There is a grand amount of detail present with textures on the clothing and within the environments. Warner Archive continues to serve up top-tier with each release.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray release comes with a newly restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that does everything it can to deliver a stable listening experience. Dialogue comes through mostly clearly without much in the realm of sibilance or distortion. The urban environmental effects and the score never drown out exchanges of dialogue on this release. Given this was still during the early days of sound, this audio presentation is as strong and consistent as the source will allow. There does not appear to be an exceptional amount of damage or age-related wear and tear to the track outside of the occasional harsher inflection. The music that is at hand maintains a welcome fidelity. There are optional English SDH subtitles available on the disc.

Special Features

Rambling Down Radio Row #1B: An 11-minute live-action Vitaphone short is provided that finds talents such as Vera Van finding excuses to perform a musical number.

The Trans-Atlantic Mystery: A 22-minute live-action Vitaphone short is provided that stars Donald Meek and finds some criminals trying to smuggle some diamonds into New York.

The Symphonic Murder Mystery: A 22-minute live-action Vitaphone short is provided that stars Donald Meek and finds inspectors trying to solve a murder at a symphony hall.

Final Thoughts

Faithless is a strong turn from Tallulah Bankhead as she swings from high-society heiress to a destitute street urchin in no time flat. The way in which she says so much with her facial expressions and body language is a testament to her talent. Bankhead understands the power of the camera, and she uses it to her full advantage. Robert Montgomery makes a fine counterpart, but this is Bankhead’s show. The narrative is a bit dour, but it thankfully makes the progressive choice of not punishing a woman for having to do what she needs to in order to survive in the world. There are nagging irritants, but this film largely delivers. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and some unique special features. Don’t miss this if you are a Pre-Code fan. Recommended

Faithless can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers. The film will be released on January 30, 2024.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.