Some movie buffs seem to think that if a movie is "pre-code" it must be good. Or, if it "sizzles," it must be interesting. Well, I like a good number of Hollywood movies made before the Hays Office enforced the studios' own code. Some definitely have sizzle. Others don't but they're good. There also are some real stinkers. Most are somewhere in between. I think a film needs more than sizzle to be very good – whether "pre-code" or later. It should have a good plot and screenplay. It should have good production qualities. It should have good sets, good camera work and good direction and editing. And the cast should all give good performances.
"Red Dust" has an interesting plot, and it has lots of sizzle. But unfortunately, it suffers in most other areas. The only very good performance in the film is Jean Harlow as Vantine. Harlow has true talent that never seems to be wasted in any of her films. She has a persona of a tough cookie, and often naughty girl in most of her films – comedy or dramatic. I would like to have seen her in a different type of dramatic role, and in a wacky comedy to see how she could handle such roles. Unfortunately, she died at age 26 from blood poisoning due to kidney failure.
As much as I like Clark Gable as an actor, I think he way overacts here in his character as Dennis Carson. And, for the first half of the film, he's a very unlikable fellow. We know Gable can be boisterous and cantankerous, but he's loud, complaining and grouchy to the point of being obnoxious in the early part of this film. Now, in contrast, Mary Astor plays way under her role. She gives the impression of one just biding her time as this soap opera plays out. Her performance seems wooden throughout the film. As Barbara Willis, she arrives with her husband on a boat at the rubber plantation upstream in a country of SE Asia. She changes at the drop of a coin from a prim and proper attitude at the start, to a withdrawn, apologetic milquetoast in the next scene, and then to a very familiar and perky person for a short time. Talk about mood switches in a movie. When Dennis comes on to her so quickly and blatantly, she seems to easily slip into adultery with so little struggle.
Tully Marshall and Donald Crisp are OK in their roles as McQuarg and Guidon. Gene Raymond as Gary Willis is just so-so. He seems too fragile and out of place – and not because he comes down with Malaria. Perhaps they made his character that way for greater contrast with the rugged, crude and vulgar Dennis. But, I think it made the direction and casting seem weaker. Willie Fung's role as the giggling Malaysian cook, Hoy, is goofy. The rest of the supporting cast are mostly native workers.
Some others have noted that the set was recycled from another film or two. It doesn't appear to have weathered very well. Pun aside, most of the settings for this movie had the feel of being on stage. I am in a different frame of mind when watching a play on stage, than I have when watching a movie. With a play, I know it's constrained and confined, so I delve more into the plot. With movies, I imagine that we're looking at a scene set in a house surrounded by lawns and woods or city, or in the outdoors that runs on and on. So I know that the characters could suddenly move outside or take off in a car. It has a sense of openness and looking down on real life from an eagle's vantage point.
The production quality of the DVD I watched is quite poor. Apparently Victor Fleming directed this film, but he's not credited for it. I wouldn't think he would care that much, because this is far inferior to most of his work. I give "Red Dust" six stars for the sizzle and Jean Harlow's acting. She is a hooker with a good heart who falls for Dennis. The soap opera ending was almost laughable. Although, Gable came close to convincing one that he had repented and didn't want to ruin the nice kid, Gary's marriage. This is an early look at Gable in the days before he grew a mustache.
"Red Dust" has an interesting plot, and it has lots of sizzle. But unfortunately, it suffers in most other areas. The only very good performance in the film is Jean Harlow as Vantine. Harlow has true talent that never seems to be wasted in any of her films. She has a persona of a tough cookie, and often naughty girl in most of her films – comedy or dramatic. I would like to have seen her in a different type of dramatic role, and in a wacky comedy to see how she could handle such roles. Unfortunately, she died at age 26 from blood poisoning due to kidney failure.
As much as I like Clark Gable as an actor, I think he way overacts here in his character as Dennis Carson. And, for the first half of the film, he's a very unlikable fellow. We know Gable can be boisterous and cantankerous, but he's loud, complaining and grouchy to the point of being obnoxious in the early part of this film. Now, in contrast, Mary Astor plays way under her role. She gives the impression of one just biding her time as this soap opera plays out. Her performance seems wooden throughout the film. As Barbara Willis, she arrives with her husband on a boat at the rubber plantation upstream in a country of SE Asia. She changes at the drop of a coin from a prim and proper attitude at the start, to a withdrawn, apologetic milquetoast in the next scene, and then to a very familiar and perky person for a short time. Talk about mood switches in a movie. When Dennis comes on to her so quickly and blatantly, she seems to easily slip into adultery with so little struggle.
Tully Marshall and Donald Crisp are OK in their roles as McQuarg and Guidon. Gene Raymond as Gary Willis is just so-so. He seems too fragile and out of place – and not because he comes down with Malaria. Perhaps they made his character that way for greater contrast with the rugged, crude and vulgar Dennis. But, I think it made the direction and casting seem weaker. Willie Fung's role as the giggling Malaysian cook, Hoy, is goofy. The rest of the supporting cast are mostly native workers.
Some others have noted that the set was recycled from another film or two. It doesn't appear to have weathered very well. Pun aside, most of the settings for this movie had the feel of being on stage. I am in a different frame of mind when watching a play on stage, than I have when watching a movie. With a play, I know it's constrained and confined, so I delve more into the plot. With movies, I imagine that we're looking at a scene set in a house surrounded by lawns and woods or city, or in the outdoors that runs on and on. So I know that the characters could suddenly move outside or take off in a car. It has a sense of openness and looking down on real life from an eagle's vantage point.
The production quality of the DVD I watched is quite poor. Apparently Victor Fleming directed this film, but he's not credited for it. I wouldn't think he would care that much, because this is far inferior to most of his work. I give "Red Dust" six stars for the sizzle and Jean Harlow's acting. She is a hooker with a good heart who falls for Dennis. The soap opera ending was almost laughable. Although, Gable came close to convincing one that he had repented and didn't want to ruin the nice kid, Gary's marriage. This is an early look at Gable in the days before he grew a mustache.