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Mandalay (1934)

Mandalay

1934

  • Warner Bros.
  • Directed by Michael Curtiz
  • Screenplay by Austin Parker, Charles Kenyon
  • Starring Kay Francis, Ricardo Cortez, Warner Oland, Lyle Talbot, Ruth Donnelly

Synopsis

In Rangoon, Burma, Tony Evans (Cortez) deserts his lover Marjorie (Francis). Without money or friends, she is forced to accept employment as a hostess in a decadent nightclub where she becomes the notorious Spot White. Eventually, the authorities close the nightclub and deport her. Hoping remake her life, she changes her name and takes a river steamer to Mandalay.

Onboard, she meets disgraced surgeon Dr. Gregory Burton (Talbot). An alcoholic, Burton is seeking to regenerate himself and make amends for killing a patient while operating drunk. Tony, fleeing the police, has stowed away. Tony finds Marjorie and threatens to name her as an accomplice unless she helps him escape and goes with him. In a panic, she decides to free herself of Tony and poisons him. Sick and staggering, he falls overboard. Although she is not accused of involvement in Cortez's death, Marjorie is conscience-stricken. Burton, attempting to make amends for his faults, is going into the interior to care for the native population. He tells Marjorie that he will probably die there. To atone for her crime, she volunteers to go with him.

Discussion

The film appeals to the daydreams of homebound women moviegoers of the 1930s. In an exotic locale, a beautiful woman suffers desertion and the necessity of living as an exotically garbed, highly desirable hostess. Gaining control of her life, she finds release from her debasement and revenges herself on her deserter. Finally she pays for her crimes and soothes her conscience by service to others. The fantasy concludes in nobility and self-sacrifice.

Kay Francis is elegant, smooth, and desirable. Although naive at first, her character quickly becomes clever, calculating and self-reliant. Her relationships with men are difficult, but she takes control and makes her own decisions. Ricardo Cortez is excellent as a sleazy villain. The film roles of the young Lyle Talbot varied between weaklings and likeable heroes. Here he is somewhat of both.

Michael Curtiz was one of the foremost directors of the classic Hollywood era. His most notable and beloved films include Captain Blood (1935), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), Casablanca (1943) and Mildred Pierce (1945). His worthwhile lesser-known films include Doctor X (1932) and The Boy from Oklahoma (1953).

Further Reading

Ricardo Cortez