Review of Lady of the Tropics

Lady of the Tropics is a wonderful love story that of course ends in tragedy. Robert Taylor is a playboy living of the good graces of many socialite girls and their families. He travels in style to the Orient and comes across Manon (Hedy Lamarr) who is a half-caste, being born to a French father and an island woman. She wants to go to Paris so she can live in a white world. Her benefactor is Pierre DeLaroch (Joseph Schildkraut) who wants her to marry him. She turns on him and marries Bill Carey. It is one terrible incident after the other, until finally she goes to Pierre to ask his help to get Bill a job. She must be with him to accomplish this, and then he will send Bill away for work. Bill returns, and finds out what she has done, and vows to kill Pierre. She gets to him first, kills him to save Bill and then shoots herself thinking Bill hates her. Bill finds that she has killed DeLaroch, and looks for her finding that she is dying. He loves her still and she dies in his arms. A very sad love story. The film was ahead of its time, and critics blasted it. However today it is quite well thought of, if only because it shows how prejudice can ruin even true love. Taylor and Lamarr are beautiful, the film is great.