During the 1934 poll on IMDb's Classic Film board I got told about a very good-sounding 1934 French title.Gathering up 100 French movies to watch over 100 days,I decided that it was time to run amok.
The plot:
Working in a jungle to cure people from the "amok" illness,Dr Holk finds the only thing to keep him sane to be a bottle of booze. Catching his attention, Hélène Haviland asks Holk if he can perform an abortion,due to Haviland's secret lover having gotten her pregnant,just before her husband is to return. Caught in a mad,drunk haze Holk tells Haviland no. Clearly his mind up shortly after,Holk decides to go out and find Haviland.
View on the film:
Showing a liking for topless women (nothing wrong there!) director Fyodor Otsep & cinematographer Curt Courant glaze the title with an ultra-stylish poetic quality,via keeping the viewer and Holk at a distance from seeing the "full" Haviland with a veil,and throwing raw cuts of edits to uncover the madness of the jungle sinking into Holk. Backed by a charming score from Karol Rathaus,Otsep places the movie halfway between a "talkie" and a Silent film. Offering startling moments of silence (such as the haunting final scene) Otsep struggles to link the Silent movie style to the heated Melodrama,which causes the tense Melodrama to lose steam,thanks to it being presented in an over exaggerated "Silent" presentation.
Although the use of "natives" does lead to the title showing its age, André Lang and H.R. Lenormand's adaptation of Stefan Zweig's novel does tap into a daring Melodrama vein,as Haviland's abortion is handled in a precise manner.Gripping Holk with madness,the writers spill the madness over his relationship with Haviland,with Holk joining the lover and husband in running amok to Haviland.Gliding across the screen in a black veil, Marcelle Chantal gives an exquisite performance as Haviland,whose pain and sorrow Chantal spins into an alluring presence,as everyone becomes entranced with the amok madness.
The plot:
Working in a jungle to cure people from the "amok" illness,Dr Holk finds the only thing to keep him sane to be a bottle of booze. Catching his attention, Hélène Haviland asks Holk if he can perform an abortion,due to Haviland's secret lover having gotten her pregnant,just before her husband is to return. Caught in a mad,drunk haze Holk tells Haviland no. Clearly his mind up shortly after,Holk decides to go out and find Haviland.
View on the film:
Showing a liking for topless women (nothing wrong there!) director Fyodor Otsep & cinematographer Curt Courant glaze the title with an ultra-stylish poetic quality,via keeping the viewer and Holk at a distance from seeing the "full" Haviland with a veil,and throwing raw cuts of edits to uncover the madness of the jungle sinking into Holk. Backed by a charming score from Karol Rathaus,Otsep places the movie halfway between a "talkie" and a Silent film. Offering startling moments of silence (such as the haunting final scene) Otsep struggles to link the Silent movie style to the heated Melodrama,which causes the tense Melodrama to lose steam,thanks to it being presented in an over exaggerated "Silent" presentation.
Although the use of "natives" does lead to the title showing its age, André Lang and H.R. Lenormand's adaptation of Stefan Zweig's novel does tap into a daring Melodrama vein,as Haviland's abortion is handled in a precise manner.Gripping Holk with madness,the writers spill the madness over his relationship with Haviland,with Holk joining the lover and husband in running amok to Haviland.Gliding across the screen in a black veil, Marcelle Chantal gives an exquisite performance as Haviland,whose pain and sorrow Chantal spins into an alluring presence,as everyone becomes entranced with the amok madness.