The Sin of Nora Moran. 1933. USA. Director: Phil Goldstone. DCP, b&w, 65 min.

The Sin of Nora Moran is neither classic, nor camp, but a unique mélange of both. Its standard pre-Code plot (victimized woman descends into a life of degradation) and extremely low budget were common to B-pictures of the period. The film’s promotional materials tend to exploit the salacious angle. But it’s the telling of the story that elevates Nora Moran into a class all its own. This it accomplishes through a series of flashbacks, flash-forwards and flashbacks-within-flashbacks so complex that the entire narrative structure quickly ceases to make sense, assuming a free-form, dream-like quality that enhances rather than detracts from it. It played at the Art Cinema/Harris Theater in January of 1944!

Hearst Metrotone News, Vol. 4, No. 269 (1933) 9 min.

Balloon Land (1935) Director: Ib Iwerks. Cartoon, 7 min.