A word, then, on Production Code censorship and Sam Wood's Kings Row: I think the mandated changes to the story were for the benefit of the film. Based on the novel of the same name by Henry Bellamann, Kings Row tells the story of a group of youths growing up in a tiny American town at the turn of the century. One of the major characters is Parris Mitchell, a good-natured young man who wants to become a doctor. So he studies with Dr. Tower, a local man with an insane wife and a young daughter named Cassie that he keeps locked up. Parris loves Cassie, but Dr. Tower refuses to let their relationship develop. Later in the film Dr. Tower kills Cassie and then commits suicide after he begins to see symptoms of the same mental illness in his daughter that afflicted his wife. This tragedy inspires Parris to study the new field of psychology in Europe so that he can prevent such things from ever happening again. In the book it is revealed that Dr. Tower had an incestuous relationship with Cassie. Not only would including this plot revelation have seemed incongruous with the rest of the film, which for the most part was played as an occasionally dour melodrama, I don't know if Sam Wood or the actors involved could have done it justice without resorting to emotional hysterics or unnecessary moralization. The change also helps explain Parris' extreme motivation to become a psychiatrist. But overall, Kings Row is a competent melodrama featuring fantastic cinematography by James Wong Howe and a few noteworthy performances, particularly Ronald Reagan as the playboy-turned-invalid Drake McHugh.
7/10
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