Based on Prévost's Manon Lescaut, the feature is a lavish romantic adventure set in France during the reign of Louis XV. John Barrymore was at his peak as a "symbol of quenchless desire" in his role as the love-tormented Fabien Chevalier des Grieux. There is little wonder that his performance smoldered with passion as he was cast, at his insistence, opposite real-life lover and future wife Dolores Costello (playing) the corrupt Manon. The artistic highlight is the originality of Henry Hadley's score, composed at a time when his contemporaries cribbed and pastiched from classical works. Notice the unique musical themes that follow the characters, the sound effects embedded in the orchestration such as the clashing of swords and the high winds of the sea, and the rousing climax and resolution of the score that intensify melodramatic effect.-Ronda BurrellPreservation funded by Warner Bros. and Tom E. Murray.