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