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Call of the Flesh (1930) - Ramon Novarro
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:49 pm
by colbyco82
Did anyone else happen to catch this film on TCM this morning? I went into it with low expectations...I love Novarro but have never heard good things about this film and recorded it just for completest sake . However, I went away actually feeling that it was a very powerful film. The songs don't weigh it down and the interaction between Renee Adoree and Novarro is great. The scenes where he sends Dorothy Jordan away and then sings the very same night were heartbreaking. Sadly, the technicolor sequence no longer seems to exist, still I hope to see this show up in the Warner Archive with a few other Novarro talkies someday.
Ramon Novarro
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 4:16 am
by moviepas
Some prints of Novarros film went out overseas, at least, with Vitaphone discs. I saw the discs to two such Novarros at the flat of a late friend in London during the 1970s. They had been sent over by a friend of his from Hollywood. The friend escaped UK because he hated Royalty, so he said, and took up film teaching in USA, particularly silents, wrote books and articles in magazines. My friend was a Novarro fan and belonged to a London society honoring Novarro at the time.
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 1:10 pm
by Gene Zonarich
I recorded it as well, and watched just a few bits of it while recording. One thing that stood out, to me anyway, was Renee Adoree. By 1930, I believe, her TB was affecting her visibly -- she looked thinner in this one than in earlier films from "The Big Parade" ('25) thru "The Mating Call" ('28). And then in a scene where she was laughing at Novarro, I could swear I heard a wheezing in her throat and voice as she caught her breath to scold Novarro.
Of course, if I hadn't known about her health issues, I probably wouldn't have noticed this, or would have simply forgotten it.
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:09 pm
by Decotodd
I recorded it and have watched about 30 minutes so far. Dorothy Jordan is simply dreadful (using an odd accent to boot) but Renee Adoree is lots of fun and has chemistry with Novarro.
He's quite charming. However, his aspirations to sing opera seem rather optimistic -- the voice is pleasing in light melodies but simply doesn't have the power to put over operatic arias. I've heard some describe him in the film as a Mexican William Haines (meaning pushy and aggressive towards women in a rather offensive manner). I get the point but he comes across as less obnoxious (and harmless) than Haines.
Intrigued to see where this goes.