Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Devil-May-Care

MGM, 1929
Starring Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Jordan, Marion Harris, and John Miljan
Directed by Sidney Franklin
Music by Clifford Grey; Lyrics by Herbert Stothart

Mexican actor Ramon Novarro was already a matinee idol in swashbucklers like Scaramouche and dramas like The Student Prince when sound came in. The Pagan was a silent movie with sound sequences, and revealed Novarro possessed a decent singing voice along with his good looks. MGM let him take time off to study voice, then brought him back for this huge operetta. How does Novarro's introduction to sound film look today? Let's start in Paris during the early 19th century, just as Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated the throne to King Louis, and find out...

The Story: Armand de Treville (Novarro) is among the soldiers loyal to Napoleon who is scheduled to be executed. He manages to escape to the home of his friend Countess Louise (Harris), who despite her own Royalist leanings, offers him a job as a groom. Louise does have feelings for Armand, but he sees her as more of a big sister. He's really in love with her cousin, Leonine De Beaufort (Jordan), another Royalist. He admired her on his way there, but she only saw his face in shadow and wouldn't recognize him. Even when Louis is overthrown and Leonine is scheduled to be married, Armand is determined to return to his beloved lady.

The Song and Dance: I'm impressed with this one. Sidney Franklin really keeps everything moving for the early talkie era; there's several sword duels and even a nifty montage number towards the end. Harris walks off with the movie as the intelligent, more mature friend who wishes Armand would look her way, and even gets to show off her own voice with a lovely ballad. In fact, I appreciate how much MGM went out for their star's big debut, with decent songs for all major players, and even that still-existing and quite pretty two-strip Technicolor dance sequence. 

Favorite Number: We kick off with Novarro and Napoleon's soldiers singing "March of the Old Guard" as they're ousted...and later with Armand doing a satirical version right before he's sentenced to execution. Harris sings "If He Cared" twice, first at the piano before Armand arrives, and later with Jordan as she explains her feelings. Novarro sings about how he finds Leontine "Charming" as he scrubs her shoes in the courtyard. 

The big color number is "The Love Ballet." The Albertina Rasch Dancers show off their fancy black and white striped dresses as they swirl with stoic black-clad soldiers against a backdrop of flower garlands and fountains. The color is a bit battered, but given how many color films from 1929 are lost today, we're lucky to have this at all.

What I Don't Like: I don't know why MGM kept pairing Novarro with Jordan. She's as shrill and dull as she would be in Call of the Flesh a year later, and still has no chemistry with him. Harris looks and sounds a lot more interesting. The color sequence comes from out of nowhere and while it looks decent, the dancing isn't terribly good, and it's likely there only to sneak in some color and give the Albertina Rasch girls something to do.

The Big Finale: Novarro makes a sound (pardon the pun) debut in this swashbuckling operetta. Well worth your time if you're interested in him or early talkie musicals.

Home Media: DVD only from the Warner Archives.

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