"Lady of the Tropics" (1939) is a romantic melodrama set in Indochina (now Vietnam). Hedy Lamarr gives a sensitive and moving performance as Manon de Vargnes. Lamarr's beautiful face expresses her emotions. Themes include love, racism, power, revenge and personal sacrifice. This is an underrated film.
Manon is a biracial temple dancer whose father was French, and mother was Indochinese. She wants a passport to Paris, but the racist laws do not allow passports to be given to "half-castes." Biracial people are treated as second-class citizens in Indochina, which was a French colony in the 1930s.
Manon is beautiful, sensitive and mysterious, with a Mona Lisa smile. She has a tendency to tell lies to avoid conflicts with men. Manon is romantically pursued by the powerful and unscrupulous businessman Pierre Delaroche (Joseph Schildkraut), who is also biracial. A king in the Angkor Wat jungle wants to add Manon to his harem of wives. However, Manon falls in love with Bill Carey (Robert Taylor), a handsome, kind, and impoverished American.
Pierre Delaroche proposes marriage to Manon, and she lies and says yes. Manon probably lied to avoid offending the very powerful man with a blunt rejection. However, this lie is her fatal flaw. When Pierre finds out that Manon has married Bill, he wants revenge, and prevents Manon from obtaining a passport. Bill is unable to find work, and they struggle to make ends meet.
Manon realizes that the only way to make Bill happy and obtain a passport is to make a deal with with the devious Pierre. She attends Puccini's opera "Manon Lescaut" with Pierre. (The opera is about a woman named Manon, who becomes the mistress of a rich older man, but is forgiven by the man she truly loves.) It is strongly implied that Manon sacrificed her virtue to Pierre. After doing so, Bill is given a job and Manon has her passport. However, Bill finds out about the terrible sacrifice Manon has made for him. The ending is poignant.
The sets and costumes are lavish. The scenes at Angkor Wat are especially beautiful, with the huge lotus bud shaped towers in the background. Temple dancers perform. Manon looks like a goddess in a glittery Indochinese costume. (See a link to this costume in the message board.)
Hedy Lamarr's costumes, designed by Adrian, are gorgeous. She wears beautiful dresses with native embroidery, and veils with beads.
Nina (Gloria Franklin) sings a heartbreaking torch song in the local nightclub.
The film received an Oscar nomination for best black and white cinematography.
"Lady of the Tropics" (1939) has a good storyline, excellent acting, exotic tropical sets, beautiful costumes, and superb cinematography. This is an underrated film, and it should be released on DVD. Highly recommended.
Hedy Lamarr starred in another film with a similar concept, titled "A Lady without Passport" (1950). The 1950 movie is a good film noir. I prefer "Lady of the Tropics" (1939) because it is visually beautiful, romantic, and emotionally poignant.
Manon is a biracial temple dancer whose father was French, and mother was Indochinese. She wants a passport to Paris, but the racist laws do not allow passports to be given to "half-castes." Biracial people are treated as second-class citizens in Indochina, which was a French colony in the 1930s.
Manon is beautiful, sensitive and mysterious, with a Mona Lisa smile. She has a tendency to tell lies to avoid conflicts with men. Manon is romantically pursued by the powerful and unscrupulous businessman Pierre Delaroche (Joseph Schildkraut), who is also biracial. A king in the Angkor Wat jungle wants to add Manon to his harem of wives. However, Manon falls in love with Bill Carey (Robert Taylor), a handsome, kind, and impoverished American.
Pierre Delaroche proposes marriage to Manon, and she lies and says yes. Manon probably lied to avoid offending the very powerful man with a blunt rejection. However, this lie is her fatal flaw. When Pierre finds out that Manon has married Bill, he wants revenge, and prevents Manon from obtaining a passport. Bill is unable to find work, and they struggle to make ends meet.
Manon realizes that the only way to make Bill happy and obtain a passport is to make a deal with with the devious Pierre. She attends Puccini's opera "Manon Lescaut" with Pierre. (The opera is about a woman named Manon, who becomes the mistress of a rich older man, but is forgiven by the man she truly loves.) It is strongly implied that Manon sacrificed her virtue to Pierre. After doing so, Bill is given a job and Manon has her passport. However, Bill finds out about the terrible sacrifice Manon has made for him. The ending is poignant.
The sets and costumes are lavish. The scenes at Angkor Wat are especially beautiful, with the huge lotus bud shaped towers in the background. Temple dancers perform. Manon looks like a goddess in a glittery Indochinese costume. (See a link to this costume in the message board.)
Hedy Lamarr's costumes, designed by Adrian, are gorgeous. She wears beautiful dresses with native embroidery, and veils with beads.
Nina (Gloria Franklin) sings a heartbreaking torch song in the local nightclub.
The film received an Oscar nomination for best black and white cinematography.
"Lady of the Tropics" (1939) has a good storyline, excellent acting, exotic tropical sets, beautiful costumes, and superb cinematography. This is an underrated film, and it should be released on DVD. Highly recommended.
Hedy Lamarr starred in another film with a similar concept, titled "A Lady without Passport" (1950). The 1950 movie is a good film noir. I prefer "Lady of the Tropics" (1939) because it is visually beautiful, romantic, and emotionally poignant.