More than 40 years after her death, people are still studying the work and life of one of the top movie stars of all time: Joan Crawford. Whatever your feelings of her acting talent, there's no denying the fact that her magnetism has been an influence on many actresses who have come since she was named box office poison, a short period of career that ended with a triumphant return to the top of the charts and an Oscar. In her very first talking film, she shows a very natural way of acting, and even if the film is dated in many ways, it stands the test of time from the light that shines on her.
Certainly, the premise of the film is absurd: She's an obvious American girl who was brought up in South America, and she has the temperament and feistiness of the stereotypical Latina. She's not afraid of going after the man she falls in love with at first sight, and after the death of her father, prepares to return to America for the first time with uncle Ernest Torrence. Aboard the ship to New York, she spots handsome playboy Robert Montgomery and is instantly smitten, even though he's enjoying the company of the wealthy and older Gwen Lee. Uncle Torrence finds Montgomery to be unsuitable, considering the wealth that Crawford has inherited from her late father, and does everything he can to break them up. True love runs its course, although it takes time for her to find a way to make things work.
Made at the beginning of the sound era, this includes a couple of songs, although it can't be referred to as a full fledged musical. Crawford and Montgomery are an appealing team, and while Torrence's character could have been written as a brutish villain, the script allows him to show several dimensions. The scenes between Crawford and Lee have spark as well, and even at only 24 or 25 when she made this, Crawford is able to command the screen with her large eyes and pleasing personality. This is a film that might require multiple viewings to come to like; My initial rating of this was 3/10, and having not seen it in over 20 years, I found it greatly appealing. It is only moderately static in spots. Crawford's career had several stages to it, and this being the beginning of her second stage finds her at her most appealing. It is films like this that show why Crawford was indeed Bette Davis's favorite movie star in spite of all the indications of their "feud".
Certainly, the premise of the film is absurd: She's an obvious American girl who was brought up in South America, and she has the temperament and feistiness of the stereotypical Latina. She's not afraid of going after the man she falls in love with at first sight, and after the death of her father, prepares to return to America for the first time with uncle Ernest Torrence. Aboard the ship to New York, she spots handsome playboy Robert Montgomery and is instantly smitten, even though he's enjoying the company of the wealthy and older Gwen Lee. Uncle Torrence finds Montgomery to be unsuitable, considering the wealth that Crawford has inherited from her late father, and does everything he can to break them up. True love runs its course, although it takes time for her to find a way to make things work.
Made at the beginning of the sound era, this includes a couple of songs, although it can't be referred to as a full fledged musical. Crawford and Montgomery are an appealing team, and while Torrence's character could have been written as a brutish villain, the script allows him to show several dimensions. The scenes between Crawford and Lee have spark as well, and even at only 24 or 25 when she made this, Crawford is able to command the screen with her large eyes and pleasing personality. This is a film that might require multiple viewings to come to like; My initial rating of this was 3/10, and having not seen it in over 20 years, I found it greatly appealing. It is only moderately static in spots. Crawford's career had several stages to it, and this being the beginning of her second stage finds her at her most appealing. It is films like this that show why Crawford was indeed Bette Davis's favorite movie star in spite of all the indications of their "feud".