An outrageous product of twenties' decadence, Cecil B. De Mille's Madam Satan starts slowly with some stiff comedy of social manners involving a wealthy socialite (Kay Johnson) who is neglected nightly by her carousing husband. But soon enough the film explodes into scenes of musical madness and visual hysteria, the high point coming on board a dirigible where an elaborate masquerade party is interrupted by a lightning bolt, which forces the guests to parachute to safety! As De Mille's second talkie, Madam Satan offers a most enjoyable blend of the undeniable vulgarity that characterized his later, more celebrated epics. The art direction and photography in Madam Satan are especially impressive.