Night World

Night World

Year: 1932

Runtime: 58 mins

Language: English

Director: Hobart Henley

Drama

“Happy” MacDonald runs a speakeasy with his unfaithful wife during Prohibition. On a tumultuous night he faces intimidation from bootleggers, while the club’s star dancer becomes enamored with a grieving young socialite who drinks to escape her tragedy, and other dramatic events unfold.

Night World (1932) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at Night World (1932) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

In the shadowed streets of a Prohibition‑era city, the flicker of neon signs and the low hum of illicit jazz conceal a world where legality and desire constantly collide. At the heart of this restless night stands a dimly lit speakeasy, a refuge for those who chase spirits both liquid and emotional. Happy MacDonald, the charismatic yet weary proprietor, keeps the doors open for a clientele that includes polished regulars, desperate dreamers, and the occasional mobster looking to smooth a deal. The club’s atmosphere is thick with cigarette smoke, whispered negotiations, and the faint promise of escapism that draws anyone daring enough to step inside.

Running the establishment alongside him is his striking but fragmented wife, Jill, whose glamour masks a restless heart and a marriage teetering on the edge of loyalty and resentment. Their partnership is as much a business arrangement as a delicate dance of power, with every glance hinting at deeper tensions. Behind the stage, the club’s star dancer, the luminous Ruth, captivates audiences with her effortless grace, yet beneath her confident performance lies a yearning for something more genuine than applause. She finds an unexpected connection with a young socialite, Michael, whose wealth cannot shield him from a lingering grief that fuels his nightly indulgence in the very liquor his world condemns.

As the night stretches on, the speakeasy becomes a nexus where the polished veneer of high society meets the gritty realities of bootleggers and lawmen. Ryan, an Irish‑American officer on the beat, watches the doorway with a mixture of duty and curiosity, while Tim, the loyal doorman, balances his own personal worries against the pressures of loyalty to Happy. The tension builds quietly, a simmering undercurrent of intimidation and desire that promises to test each character’s resolve, leaving the audience to wonder how the fragile alliances within these walls will hold when the night’s shadows grow longer.

Last Updated: December 05, 2025 at 10:19

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Single night pressure cooker dramas like Night World

Stories where the pressure cooker of a single night forces lives to shatter.If you liked the intense, single-night setting of Night World, explore more movies like it. This thread features similar high-stakes films where a tense location and a short timeframe create a pressure cooker of emotion, leading to explosive climaxes and dramatic revelations.

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Narrative Summary

These narratives unfold over a compressed period, typically one night, within a confined space like a nightclub or apartment. Multiple character subplots intersect under a shared threat, building a sense of claustrophobic inevitability as the evening escalates towards a violent or emotionally shattering climax.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared structure of a contained timeline and setting, which amplifies tension and forces rapid character development. They share a fast pace, high intensity, and a focus on the explosive consequences of secrets and conflicts coming to a head.

Bittersweet underworld escape stories like Night World

Where bleak circumstances offer a glimmer of hope, but at a heavy cost.Fans of Night World's blend of gangster danger and emotional longing will find more movies like it here. These films feature characters trapped in gritty worlds who seize a chance for freedom, resulting in endings that are hopeful yet stained by the violence and sacrifices left behind.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows characters entangled in a dangerous world they wish to leave. Their path to escape is paved with trauma and conflict, culminating in a climax that eliminates immediate threats but leaves emotional scars. The ending offers a qualified hope, acknowledging the high price paid for a new beginning.

Why These Movies?

These movies share a core emotional arc: the pursuit of redemption or freedom from a corrupt environment. They are united by a heavy emotional weight, a tense and gritty tone, and endings that are bittersweet—mixing hope for the future with the sorrow of what was lost to achieve it.

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Don't stop at just watching — explore Night World in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Night World is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Night World Summary

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Night World Summary

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Night World Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in Night World

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Night World

More About Night World

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