Year: 1932
Director: Victor Fleming
Country: US
Language: English
Based on the 1928 play of the same name by Wilson Collison, and adapted for the screen by John Mahin, Red Dust (1932) is the second of six movies Clark Gable (Gone With the Wind) and Jean Harlow (Platinum Blonde) made together. Made during the pre-code era of the Golden Age of Hollywood, the film was a commercial and critical success.
The owner of a rubber plantation (Clark Gable) becomes involved with the new wife (Jean Harlow) of one of his employees.
1932 was perhaps the worst year for Hollywood in its history. Due to the Great Depression which swept North America several small studios had to close their doors for good and the the only studio that managed to make a profit was MGM...mainly due to Red Dust. Its racy dialogue and fiery sexuality, Harlow was willing to show quite a bit of skin, enticed penny pinching Americans to run to the cinemas.
Set on a hot plantation, Director Victor Fleming gives us the perfect setting for intense passion to seep through the screen. Clark Gable's machismo flourishes as his raging lust for Harlowe, a nymph-ish woman with a cutting edge, slowly takes over his mind. A well paced picture, Red Dust does suffer from the poor handling of minorities. The Vietnamese characters are viewed as savages whose idiocy attempts to provide comic relief. Its a very dated aspect of this film.
Despite many racist scenes, Red Dust (1932) is a gem from the Golden Age of Hollywood that ought to be viewed by contemporary audiences. Though both actors have played better roles, it's still an entertaining tale of great passion.
No comments:
Post a Comment