HER MAN begins at a seedy Havana dancehall, where Frankie (Helen Twelvetrees) plies her trade as a showgirl and con artist, stealing the wallets of drunk patrons. Working alongside her is Johnnie (Ricardo Cortez), her brutish lover who doesn’t shy away from using blackmail and physical force to keep her in line. When Frankie falls in love with a sailor on holiday, she sees it as an opportunity to start a new life. Her only roadblock to happiness is Johnnie, as he and his dancehall gang set out to stop her in the film’s thrilling climax, which is one of the most technically astounding set pieces of its time. Filled with a frank sexuality and dark themes, HER MAN is an excellent example of the complexity and diversity of pre–Code American cinema, which would end in 1934 with the adoption of the prohibitive Hays Code. Star Helen Twelvetrees shines in her breakout performance as Frankie, giving depth and a feminist bent to a role in which she would be pigeonholed for the rest of her career. Critically acclaimed upon its release, HER MAN remains influential as one of the first sound pictures to reach the same artistic heights as the most iconic films of the silent era. (The Film Foundation)

Restoration Credits: Restored by Sony Pictures Entertainment, in partnership with The Film Foundation and RT Features