Burning fire of passion

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Movie
German title Burning fire of passion
Original title The Shining Hour
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1938
length 77 minutes
Rod
Director Frank Borzage
script Jane Murfin ,
Ogden Nash
production Joseph L. Mankiewicz for MGM
music Franz Waxman
camera George J. Folsey
cut Frank E. Hull
occupation

Burning Fire of Passion (Original title: The Shining Hour ) is an American film with Joan Crawford and a star cast that includes Margaret Sullavan , Robert Young and Melvyn Douglas . Directed by Frank Borzage . The film was originally intended as a follow-up project for Crawford and Spencer Tracy , who had recently had financial success in Mannequin under the direction of Borzage .

action

Olivia Riley can look back on a successful career as a dancer. She performs in exclusive night clubs. One day, Wisconsin wealthy rancher Henry Linden falls in love with Olivia. More out of loneliness than real love, Olivia accepts the hasty marriage proposal. As soon as she arrives in Wisconsin, Olivia is already in massive trouble with the rest of the family, who all carry their neuroses and secrets with them.

Her brother-in-law David is married to Judy, who is rather simple in spirit. The marriage only exists on paper, so David has no qualms about making advances to Olivia. The real regiment, however, is led by Hannah, the junior sister of David and Henry. She hates Olivia, who in turn tries everything to improve the mood. The underlying conflicts openly break out when Olivia thinks she is discovering her love for David. There are some dramatic arguments and many conversations between those involved. In the end, Hannah sets fire to the house and Olivia saves Judy at the last second, but she suffers severe burns. After all, after further, intensive discussions, everyone realizes their mistakes. Hannah admits she was wrong about Olivia. David realizes how much he loves Judy. Olivia realizes that she has basically always loved Henry and the couple begin a new life, far from Wisconsin.

background

By 1938, Joan Crawford's career was in a permanent crisis. In recent years the studio had used the actress too often in light romances that placed more emphasis on opulent costumes and décor than on the script. Neither The Gorgeous Hussy nor the ambitious films The Bride Wore Red and The Last of Mrs. Cheyney brought a decisive turn for the better. Only the participation in Mannequin seemed to open a way out. A sophisticated script, the innovative and challenging direction by Frank Borzage and a new co-star in Spencer Tracy made the film a great success at the box office. Crawford signed a new contract that ran for five years and guaranteed her a fee of $ 330,000 per year.

The Shining Hour had it in the 1934 Broadway season with Gladys Cooper , Raymond Massey and Adrianne Allen, among others , to 121 performances. Joan Crawford, who had seen the play on stage at the time, convinced MGM to acquire the film rights. As a male co-star, Spencer Tracy was initially planned again, but the plan fell apart in advance. Joan Crawford insisted that the two female supporting roles be cast on established stage actors. In the end, in the opinion of the critics, everyone involved delivered good presentations, but the film failed at the box office.

Joan Crawford was not particularly satisfied with the finished result and the way it was presented, as she later told Roy Newquist:

“Burning fire of passion” was a failure on a high level. It was a huge hit on Broadway. Margaret Sullavan, Robert Young, Melvyn Douglas and I were all wasted, however, and I think it was around this time that my loyal fans turned away from me. You just can't lure them into bad movies. "

Theatrical release

The film came into national distribution on November 18, 1938. At $ 1,068,000, Burning Fire of Passion was an expensive production that was above the average budget for a motion picture of the time. With a sum of 942,000 US dollars, it brings in a sum that was already below the standard that could be expected from a Joan Crawford film by the middle of the decade. With overseas revenues of $ 425,000 and cumulative total income of $ 1,367,000, the studio ended up making a loss of $ 137,000.

Reviews

Most reviewers criticized the static impression of the adaptation and the never-ending dialogues.

Variety got things straight:

“[Burning Fire of Passion] can boast four stars, led by Joan Crawford. Ultimately, the cinema owners are left with a confused film that does not develop any real tension from the intersecting motifs. The main problem is the script. Frank Borzage cannot save much. "

literature

  • Roy Newquist (Ed.): Conversations with Joan Crawford . Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ 1980, ISBN 0-8065-0720-9
  • Lawrence J. Quirk : The Complete Films of Joan Crawford . Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ 1988, ISBN 0-8065-1078-1
  • Lawrence J. Quirk, William Schoell: Joan Crawford. The Essential Biography . University Press, Lexington, KY. 2002, ISBN 0-8131-2254-6
  • Alexander Walker: Joan Crawford. The Ultimate Star . Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1983, ISBN 0-297-78216-9

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "The Shining Hour" failed, but sort of nobly. On Broadway it had been a smash hit. Margaret Sullavan, Robert Young, Melvyn Douglas and I were all wasted, and I think this was about the time my loyal public began dwindling. You can't keep 'em coming to bad films.
  2. ↑ The Shining Hour is studded with a quintet of marquee names, headed by Joan Crawford, but that draw value is all that exhibitors can depend on, as picture is a confused jungle of cross-purpose motivations and situations that fail entirely to arouse interest. Basic trouble with the production lies in the script. Frank Borzage could not overcome basic story faults in his direction.