The Miracle Woman (1931) | Region-Free (Blu-Ray) | Starring Barbara Stanwyck

Cinema Dream Network Custom Region-Free Blu-ray/BD-R Release

Presented in 1080p

Title: The Miracle Woman (1931)

Genre: Drama

Plot Synopsis:
After her father’s death, Florence Fallon becomes disillusioned with religion due to the mistreatment he faced from his congregation. Teaming up with con man Bob Hornsby, she establishes a fraudulent temple, performing fake miracles for profit. The arrival of John Carson, a blind aviator, challenges her cynicism and leads her to question her deceptive practices.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Frank Capra
• Writer: Jo Swerling
• Cast:
  • Barbara Stanwyck as Florence ‘Faith’ Fallon
  • David Manners as John Carson
  • Sam Hardy as Bob Hornsby
  • Beryl Mercer as Mrs. Higgins
  • Russell Hopton as Bill Welford

IMDb Link:
The Miracle Woman (1931)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. theriverjordan – ★★★★☆
   “Love of God is not enough in Frank Capra’s first major work, ‘The Miracle Woman.’ The Barbara Stanwyck-starring film is something of a prelude for the director’s entire career. Characters and themes that would one day echo clear as a Christmas bell, sound with a startling early strength in ‘Miracle Woman.’ David Manners plays a retired aviator; blinded during combat. At the moment of his intended suicide at the peak of hopelessness, he hears the words of Stanwyck’s Sister Fallon – a huckster of a revivalist preacher out for revenge on the faithful after her priest father’s premature death; unmourned by his own ungrateful congregation. In what would become a recurring lesson in Capra’s oeuvre, love must not exist in isolation. It must be shared, and it must be honest. Sister Fallon’s love of God is not enough. It is only when she opens herself to the love of another person that she finds salvation.”
2. Rick Burin – ★★★★★
   “MINOR SPOILERS This is by far the best of the five collaborations between future ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ director Frank Capra and the mercurially gifted Barbara Stanwyck: a blistering, beautiful Pre-Code masterpiece about a minister’s daughter (Stanwyck) who enters the religion racket, selling salvation to small-town folk through a mixture of pageantry and planted miracles. There are three passages in particular that stand out: the sensational opening sequence, unlike anything else I’ve ever seen, in which Stanwyck lays into a church-full of parishioners for their staggering hypocrisy, blasting them with two barrels of righteous fury as they cower for cover; her overwhelming beach-side confession; and a final speech on the stage that may well be the best thing she ever did on screen. The film is a little creaky in places, but Stanwyck is absolutely electrifying, and Capra’s direction is often inspired.”
3. Jim Morrow – ★★★★☆
   “Capra’s ‘The Miracle Woman’ is saved by never making the mistake of delivering a miracle. Honestly, I was waiting with bated breath for that moment that David was ‘miraculously’ cured of his blindness, so hats off to Capra and Riskin for never going there. Loosely based on the life of Aimee Semple McPherson, Stanwyck plays Florence Fallon, the daughter of a pastor who was unceremoniously dumped by the church deacons for a younger (more modern) empty frock. In a great opening scene, Florence lets go with both barrels at the hypocrisy and phony piety of the deacons and the church members. She’s heard by a two-bit con man named Hornsby (Sam Hardy) who manipulates her gift of sermonizing into a money-making scam. The film is a fascinating look at the con game of religion and the redemption of a woman who finds love and faith in humanity.”

Meta Description:
“The Miracle Woman” (1931), directed by Frank Capra, stars Barbara Stanwyck as Florence Fallon, a disillusioned preacher’s daughter who, after teaming up with a con man to perform fake miracles, reconsiders her actions upon meeting a blind aviator.