Lady of the Tropics

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Movie
Original title Lady of the Tropics
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1939
length 93 minutes
Rod
Director Jack Conway
script Ben Hecht
production Sam Zimbalist
for MGM
music Franz Waxman
camera George J. Folsey
cut Elmo Veron
occupation

Lady of the Tropics is an American melodrama about unhappy love between people of different races starring Hedy Lamarr and Robert Taylor from 1939 and directed by Jack Conway .

action

Playboy William Carey is about to marry Dolly, the daughter of a millionaire, when he meets the beautiful Manon de Vargnes in Saigon. Manon has a French father and a Vietnamese mother, making him half-blood in the eyes of society. Manon suffers from discrimination from her environment. The authorities refuse her a passport and she has to put up with many resettlements. Soon love sprouts between William and Manon. However, Manon Pierre Delaroch is in the word, an enormously rich merchant who, like Manon, is a half-blood. All warnings of the problems such a marriage would bring with it, William and Manon marry. Soon, however, William had doubts about Manon's loyalty. When Delaroch starts an intrigue to harm William, Manon shoots him. To spare her husband the shame of being married to a murderess, Manon ends up committing suicide and dies in William's arms.

background

Along with Greer Garson, Hedy Lamarr was one of the personal discoveries that Louis B. Mayer , studio boss of MGM , made in 1937 on his extensive trip to Europe. Mayer was enthusiastic about the young actress, who was still called Hedy Kiesler at the time, and gave her the stage name Hedy Lamarr, as it reminded her of the silent film star Barbara La Marr . However, the studio initially had no fabrics suitable for Lamarr or Garson. In the end, Hedy Lamarr made her US debut through a loan-out to Walter Wanger for his production of Algiers alongside Charles Boyer . The film was a huge hit at the box office and Lamarr rose to fame overnight as the Most Beautiful Woman in the World. Almost overnight, brunette became the fashion color for all Hollywood stars. The previously blonde Joan Bennett dyed her hair à la Lamarr a short time later and also copied Lamarr's middle parting. In addition, Hedy Lamarr practically single-handedly made hats en vogue again, after women's fashion had previously tended to dispense with this fashionable accessory.

Louis B. Mayer left no stone unturned to make Hedy Lamarr the studio's biggest star. For her first MGM film I Take This Woman , Mayer personally engaged Josef von Sternberg , Marlene Dietrich's former mentor . Mayer personally supervised every detail of the shooting, but the production grew into a full-blown disaster. The directors took turns, almost the entire cast was completely replaced and during the production time, which finally stretched over 18 months, Lamarr shot Lady of the Tropics , which finally came to the cinemas before I Take This Woman .

Chief designer Gilbert Adrian completely redesigned the star in every scene and in the end invested a good 35,000 US dollars in various ensembles for Lamarr. Although the film is set in French Indochina , the exotic costumes and headgear are more reminiscent of Thailand. The turbans and scarves tied around the head, which Hedy Lamarr presented several times on the screen, created the only lasting impression on the fans and were often copied by fashion magazines and couturiers in the following years.

Theatrical release

At the box office, the film fell short of expectations. Production costs were $ 913,000, compared with domestic revenues of $ 1,042,000. A further $ 491,000 was added from abroad, making a cumulative total of $ 1,533,000. The result was a meager profit of just $ 99,000 for the studio.

criticism

The critics had trouble taking the film seriously. In addition, there was agreement that Hedy Lamarr, with her limited acting talent, is a star that it is better to look at in peace and enjoy its exquisite beauty rather than hear it.

The New York Times called Lady of the Tropics somewhat derogatory "grand opera tragedy" and compared Hedy Lamarr to the Mona Lisa. Her beauty would invite intense contemplation, but her limited talent would destroy any illusion of depth. ("As for Miss Lamarr's virtues as an actress [...] is necessary to report that she is essentially of those museum pieces, like the Mona Lisa, who are more beautiful in repose. When she talks [...] she becomes merely a pretty woman ").

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1940 , the film received a nomination in the category

  • Best camera (black and white)

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