Lady of the Tropics ** (1939, Robert Taylor, Hedy Lamarr, Joseph Schildkraut) – Classic Movie Review 6863

Hedy Lamarr stars as the tragic titular Lady of the Tropics and Robert Taylor plays playboy Bill Carey who woos her, despite her second-class legal status as a half-caste beauty. Norbert Brodine was Oscar nominated for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White.

In French Indochina, the lovely part-native courtesan Manon de Vargnes (Lamarr) is embroiled in an ill-fated love affair with the wealthy philanderer Bill Carey (Taylor) in director Jack Conway’s 1939 would-be steamy drama.

With director Conway not getting an effective handle on the pace and mood even in a short running time of 92 minutes, this is a torpor-ridden tropical romantic tale that trundles, rather than blazes, along on its old-fashioned snobbery and outmoded values. Lamarr (gorgeously gowned by Adrian) and Taylor look pretty but their acting is uninspired, though admittedly Lamarr is more persuasive than Taylor.

However, it is still carefully made, nicely photographed by George J Folsey and Norbert Brodine, and well produced though, and Ben Hecht’s intelligent script from the novel Manon Lescault tries to make sense of it all, bring out its meaning and fire it up.

Also in the cast are Joseph Schildkraut, Gloria Franklin, Ernest Cossart, Frederick Worlock, Natalie Moorhead, Mary Taylor, Charles Trowbridge, Paul Porcasi, Marguerita Padula, Cecil Cunningham, Abner Biberman, Gino Corrado, John Dilson, Willie Fung, Charles Halton, Richard Loo, Michael Mark, Frank Puglia, Edwin Stanley and Zeffie Tilbury.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6863

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