The Sin of Nora Moran

Beautiful 21 year old Nora Moran waits on death row, hours away from her execution for a crime she did not commit. Sedated by sympathetic prison matrons, she dreamily recalls her tragic past. Orphaned at birth, she longs for a life in the theater, but as a teen is only able to find work in the circus as an assistant to Paulino, the lion tamer. Eventually, she runs away to escape brutal sexual abuse at the hands of her employer. Fleeing to another town, she finds love for the first time as the mistress of Governor Dick Crawford. Paulino finds her and as he attempts to rape her once more, he is murdered. She now willingly faces the electric chair, to protect the reputation of the real killer, the only man who ever gave her a brief taste of happiness.

Screen writer Frances Hyland and director Phil Goldstone combined their talents to create a dark brooding masterpiece of love, betrayal, murder and courage in the face of death. Utilizing flashback, voice over, dream sequences and a melancholy atmosphere, they anticipate many of the techniques that would characterize film noir decades later. Ravishing Zita Johann, best known for her role in The Mummy (1932), gives a haunting performance as the tragic, doomed Nora. Majestic rented their sets and costumes from the major studios allowing them to concentrate their budgets on fine actors. Powerful performances by John Miljan, Alan Dinehart, Paul Cavanagh, Claire DuBrey, Sarah Padden, Henry B. Walthall, Syd Saylor, and Cora Sue Collins make this a rare forgotten classic.

• drama