"Lady of the Night is a little-known gem...small, perfect, and haunting-a sad and lovely thing of beauty. (It stars) Norma Shearer in a dual role. She plays a rich girl, Florence, and a poor girl named Molly, a gangster's moll. Having the same actress play both roles is the brilliant touch. The women, of course, look alike, yet no one in the film notices. In the eyes of the world they're totally different people.... Humanity, social concern, and a deep sensitivity-spiked with wit and a total command of visual storytelling-are the characteristics of (director Monta) Bell's style. (He) creates an elliptical, dreamlike landscape in which almost everyone pursues a vision that can't be realized-and everyone wishes he or she were something more.... It's typical of Shearer that she's never more touching than when playing the 'bad woman'...but (she) brings unexpected depth to Florence, playing her...as someone with an uneasy suspicion that she's been sheltered from life's most enriching lessons."-Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle