Sunday, July 7, 2013

Call Her Savage (1932)

Director: John Francis Dillon                          Writer: Edwin J. Burke
Music: Peter Brunelli & Arthur Lange              Cinematography: Lee Games
Starring: Clara Bow, Estelle Taylor, Thelma Todd and Monroe Owsley

One of the things Clara Bow bemoaned about the sound films she appeared in is that they curtailed her natural movement onscreen, but you would know it from this pre-code western-cum-morality tale. She runs around cavorting with men and animals, tossing her hair and squealing with delight. In most respects she is very much the character she created in her silent screen days, has a terrific voice and seemed destined for a long career in films. It’s too bad that personal problems and legal troubles derailed her sound career because, as always, she had a magnetic and larger than life screen presence that would have been a pleasure to see more of. Call Her Savage has her playing an out-of-control youth whose emotions flare up at a moment’s notice, which she does well.

The film has a lengthy prologue, in order to set up the ending. Bow’s grandfather, who cheated on his wife, is told that his sins will be visited on later generations. This is the rationale for Bow’s wild behavior. She grows up on a ranch in Texas and is so out of control that she is sent to a girl’s school in Chicago. But that still doesn’t tame her and she earns the sobriquet “Dynamite” in the local papers for her volatility. When she marries a rich player, she finds out he only did it to punish his former girlfriend, Thelma Todd. But Bow decides to get even with him by burning through as much of his money as she can. But this is just the beginning of a tale of a woman who, from the outside, appears to have gone through life’s trials and come out on top, but underneath is unhappy.

The film is very nicely directed by John Dillon, and though his name is not well known, he comes up with some great directorial touches. The film has a polished look and you couldn’t ask for a better showcase for Clara Bow’s talents. As a story, the thing is a bit all over the place and never really settles down to a single dramatic direction. Unfortunately, there’s a racist undercurrent to the film that was no doubt far more present in the original novel by Tiffany Thayer, to the effect that Bow’s actual father was an Indian and therefore her wild temper and behavior is explained by her half-breed heritage. This is, however, never directly stated but implied, and with Bow’s incredibly Euro-American features it’s quickly forgotten through the bulk of the film.

As always, there is a certain stilted quality to the delivery of lines that a lot of early thirties films suffer from. And while there are no other big stars in the film, Estelle Taylor makes a nice appearance as Bow’s mother, and the comedic talents of Thelma Todd are put to good use as the other woman. Though there isn’t a score, as such, there is some background music in places that functions as that, as well as the obligatory jazz numbers that were the standard of the day. Call Her Savage is not a great film, but it is absolutely fascinating as a vehicle for the former silent star. Clara Bow is radiant as always and delivers a very solid performance that is certainly worth watching.

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