A carefree South Seas native falls for the half-caste ward of a religious white man who desires her for himself.A carefree South Seas native falls for the half-caste ward of a religious white man who desires her for himself.A carefree South Seas native falls for the half-caste ward of a religious white man who desires her for himself.
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia"Produced and photographed in the Paumotu Islands of the South Seas."
- Quotes
Madge: Gee, Henry... I wish I was like you. You just laugh an' lie back in the sunshine.
Henry Shoesmith, Jr.: Sometime the sun too hot... then I lay in shade.
- Crazy creditsTitle card at the beginning states: Produced and photographed in the Paumotu Islands of the South Seas.
- SoundtracksPagan Love Song
(1929) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Sung by an offscreen chorus at he beginning, Ramon Novarro and Dorothy Janis
Variations played in the score often
Featured review
"Come with me where moonbea-eeams..."
THE PAGAN (1929) is a "silent" film with a synchronized audio track (music and sound effects). This wasn't uncommon during the transition from true silent film to "talkies". Synchronized soundtracks enhanced otherwise silent films in theaters equipped for sound, while on-set sound recording technology was still being perfected.
The highlights of THE PAGAN's audio track are sections where Ramon Novarro sings "Pagan Love Song". In certain scenes, the recorded singing syncs up with Novarro's on-screen performance, making it seem as if he's singing right out of the screen (as Al Jolson had done in the groundbreaking talkie THE JAZZ SINGER [1927]).
Shot on location in Tahiti, THE PAGAN follows up directer W.S. Van Dyke's earlier tropical island drama WHITE SHADOWS IN THE SOUTH SEAS (1928), the first MGM film released with a synchronized soundtrack. Exotic silent screen star Novarro plays a carefree half-caste who owns a cocoanut plantation. Donald Crisp is a self-righteous white trader who considers it his "Christian duty" to raise beautiful half-caste orphan Dorothy Janis (King) as a "white" woman.
Novarro and Janis sing "Pagan Love Song" and fall in love, a match made in half-caste heaven. But Crisp doesn't want his ward associating with the heathen, even if Crisp paints on a hypocritical smile to do business with him. Hoping to earn Crisp's approval to romance Janis, Novarro decides to go into business, trading in his sarong for a suit of clothes. But Crisp has ideas of his own. Renée Adorée plays Novarro's friend, a white woman of dubious reputation living in the tropics.
The film is charming, with a nice romance and a taste of tropical exoticism. Viewers will have "Pagan Love Song" stuck in their heads for a while. The brunette Dorothy Janis is absolutely adorable, and it's surprising this film didn't launch her to stardom. Adorée gets higher billing for her supporting part, but it is Janis who makes an impression in a breakout role. Novarro comes out looking okay, too. The camera loves showing off his tanned body and this film led to more singing roles in the early talkie days.
The highlights of THE PAGAN's audio track are sections where Ramon Novarro sings "Pagan Love Song". In certain scenes, the recorded singing syncs up with Novarro's on-screen performance, making it seem as if he's singing right out of the screen (as Al Jolson had done in the groundbreaking talkie THE JAZZ SINGER [1927]).
Shot on location in Tahiti, THE PAGAN follows up directer W.S. Van Dyke's earlier tropical island drama WHITE SHADOWS IN THE SOUTH SEAS (1928), the first MGM film released with a synchronized soundtrack. Exotic silent screen star Novarro plays a carefree half-caste who owns a cocoanut plantation. Donald Crisp is a self-righteous white trader who considers it his "Christian duty" to raise beautiful half-caste orphan Dorothy Janis (King) as a "white" woman.
Novarro and Janis sing "Pagan Love Song" and fall in love, a match made in half-caste heaven. But Crisp doesn't want his ward associating with the heathen, even if Crisp paints on a hypocritical smile to do business with him. Hoping to earn Crisp's approval to romance Janis, Novarro decides to go into business, trading in his sarong for a suit of clothes. But Crisp has ideas of his own. Renée Adorée plays Novarro's friend, a white woman of dubious reputation living in the tropics.
The film is charming, with a nice romance and a taste of tropical exoticism. Viewers will have "Pagan Love Song" stuck in their heads for a while. The brunette Dorothy Janis is absolutely adorable, and it's surprising this film didn't launch her to stardom. Adorée gets higher billing for her supporting part, but it is Janis who makes an impression in a breakout role. Novarro comes out looking okay, too. The camera loves showing off his tanned body and this film led to more singing roles in the early talkie days.
helpful•40
- jimjo1216
- Sep 16, 2013
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $293,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.20 : 1
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