In this grand Cecil B. DeMille epic, Paulette Goddard is auctioned off as an indentured servant after being brought to the colonies from London. On the slave ship, she strikes up a friendship with the comic swindler Cecil Kellaway, and she catches the attention of Howard Da Silva, who wants to buy her. Gary Cooper doesn't like Howard, and for no other reason, he outbids him in Paulette's sale. He's not interested in her, and the fact that he has an enemy doesn't guarantee he'll treat her any better-so why is Paulette so excited to become his property?
Normally, I'd spend the entire length of the review criticizing Gary Cooper's performance, but Paulette was so terrible, she distracted me. From start to finish, she gave the worst interpretation of the written lines, overacted her facial expressions, and didn't understand her character. She never once appeared to have suffered a months-long sea voyage on a slave ship, nor months of hard work as an indentured servant. You can only imagine what she would have had to endure, but she seemed like she was on her way to the beauty parlor and hoped to pick up a new boyfriend on the way. Why was she always so immodest, yet feigning virtue whenever Howard Da Silva showed her any interest? Howard was consistently kinder to her than Gary, and he repeatedly expressed his interest in her. Gary showed her time and again that he prioritized others over her, and when he was bidding to buy her on the slave market, he only did it to spite Howard's bid. "And sixpence" after each increase didn't mean he intended to treat Paulette with kindness and affection. Even she noticed he hadn't looked at her once during the auction.
If you're watching this movie for the supporting cast, you'll see Boris Karloff as the Indian chief, who's also Howard's father-in-law. Howard's wife is played by Katherine DeMille, C.B.'s daughter. She has a meaty role, and she's far better at it than Paulette is in hers. My favorite, of course, is Ward Bond, Gary's faithful pal. He adds much needed energy and enthusiasm in every scene he's in.
Normally, I'd spend the entire length of the review criticizing Gary Cooper's performance, but Paulette was so terrible, she distracted me. From start to finish, she gave the worst interpretation of the written lines, overacted her facial expressions, and didn't understand her character. She never once appeared to have suffered a months-long sea voyage on a slave ship, nor months of hard work as an indentured servant. You can only imagine what she would have had to endure, but she seemed like she was on her way to the beauty parlor and hoped to pick up a new boyfriend on the way. Why was she always so immodest, yet feigning virtue whenever Howard Da Silva showed her any interest? Howard was consistently kinder to her than Gary, and he repeatedly expressed his interest in her. Gary showed her time and again that he prioritized others over her, and when he was bidding to buy her on the slave market, he only did it to spite Howard's bid. "And sixpence" after each increase didn't mean he intended to treat Paulette with kindness and affection. Even she noticed he hadn't looked at her once during the auction.
If you're watching this movie for the supporting cast, you'll see Boris Karloff as the Indian chief, who's also Howard's father-in-law. Howard's wife is played by Katherine DeMille, C.B.'s daughter. She has a meaty role, and she's far better at it than Paulette is in hers. My favorite, of course, is Ward Bond, Gary's faithful pal. He adds much needed energy and enthusiasm in every scene he's in.