Character Relationship Map: Interference

Characters

• Philip Voaze (played by William Powell) — protagonist

  Philip is Deborah Kane’s former lover, believed to have died in World War I but actually alive under an assumed identity. When Deborah threatens to expose Faith’s inadvertent bigamy, he decides that k...

• Deborah Kane (played by Evelyn Brent) — protagonist

  Deborah is Philip Voaze’s former lover. At a Remembrance Day service in London, she recognizes him and discovers that he survived the war under an assumed identity. Knowing that Faith has remarried, s...

• Sir John Marlay (played by Clive Brook) — supporting

  Sir John is a famous heart surgeon and Faith’s current husband. His marriage to Faith is complicated by the fact that Philip, her former husband, survived the war, making Faith’s remarriage an inadver...

• Faith Marlay (played by Doris Kenyon) — supporting

  Faith is married to Sir John Marlay, the famous heart surgeon, but her earlier marriage to Philip Voaze makes her remarriage an inadvertent bigamy. Deborah threatens to expose the situation, and Phili...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Faith Marlay → Sir John Marlay (Family Wife) — Their marriage is endangered by the revelation that Philip survived.

  The plot states that Faith is now remarried to Sir John Marlay.

• Deborah Kane → Philip Voaze (Romantic Former Lovers) — Their past romance motivates Deborah's attempt to make Philip return to her.

  Deborah recognizes Philip as her old flame at the Remembrance Day service.

• Philip Voaze → Faith Marlay (Family Husband) — Their marriage creates the threat of inadvertent bigamy after Faith remarries.

  The plot identifies Faith as Philip's wife, though he was believed to have died in World War I.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Philip Voaze → Sir John Marlay (Conflict Threatens His Marriage) — Philip's return places Sir John's marriage to Faith at risk.

  Philip's survival means Faith's remarriage to Sir John is inadvertent bigamy, which Deborah threatens to expose.

• Deborah Kane → Faith Marlay (Conflict Threatens Exposure) — Deborah uses the risk of exposure to pressure Philip.

  Deborah threatens to reveal Faith's inadvertent bigamy.

Story Analysis

A wartime survivor's return exposes a remarriage and drives a former lover toward coercion and an extreme decision.

Plot Progression

1. The Face from the War — At a London Remembrance Day service, Deborah sees Philip, whom she believed had died in World War I. She discovers he survived and lived under an assumed identity.
2. A Marriage in Jeopardy — Philip knows Faith has remarried Sir John. His survival makes Faith's new marriage an inadvertent bigamy, giving Deborah leverage.
3. Deborah's Coercion — Deborah threatens to reveal Faith's situation and tries to force Philip to return to her. The threat turns their past relationship into an immediate conflict.
4. Philip's Extreme Decision — Philip sees Deborah as a threat to Faith's present happiness. He concludes that killing Deborah is the only way to protect it; the supplied plot does not state what follows.