Dixiana

All right, putting aside the stereotypical characterizations of Old South slaves not to mention many operatic songs that date this movie today, I rather enjoyed this early talkie musical with the two-strip Technicolor that was used in the final sequence. I mean, I was a little disappointed how little Bert Wheeler & Robert Woolsey were used but when they were on screen, they were quite amusing. And seeing Dorothy Lee & Wheeler sing is always a treat and it was a nice surprise to see Woolsey have his own number here as well. Oh, and for both historical and entertainment purposes, an African-American tap dancer named Bill "Bojangles" Robinson does his thing in his film debut and in that color sequence, to boot! So on that note, Dixiana is a worthy movie to watch if you're interested in these old movies like yours truly. P.S. Though this supposedly takes place in New Orleans (where I only live a 2-hour drive from), I'm guessing this was wholly shot on a studio back lot.

Dixiana is a film that stands alone among early sound film restorations. The Technicolor sequences which make up the final twenty minutes of this lavish extravaganza are absolutely beautiful to behold. This restoration was first shown on the TNT cable network in the spring of 1990. I believe that this is one of the few early talkies that one can see in the manner in which it was first presented in the theaters. The beauty of the restoration aside, there is much to admire in this operetta, which stars the lovely Bebe Daniels and Metropolitan Opera Star Everett Marshall. The music, by Harry Tierney is lovely and melodic. The dances are well-executed by Pearl Eaton. The gorgeous costumes were designed by Walter Plunkett, although the opening titles credit Max Ree with costumes and scenery. Dixiana was issued in the late summer of 1930, at a time when the public was tiring of musical films. The film supposedly lost $300,000 in it's initial release. I believe that Everett Marshall was chosen to play the male lead in this film due to the enormous success of an earlier MGM film,"The Rogue Song" which starred Metropolitan Opera Star Lawrence Tibbett and Catherine Dale Owen. This film only exsists in fragments and a Vitaphone soundtrack recording, so we have no accurate way to compare the two films. Dixiana seems to have something for everyone. You like vintage comedy? You can see Wheeler and Woolsey do their stuff with the charming Dorothy Lee, who co-starred in many of their films. You want hissable villains? There is Ralf Harolde who is just about as hissable as can be, seconded by Jobyna Howland as Marshall's dragon of a stepmother (married to stage comedian Joseph Cawthorn). You want glorious extravaganza? Check out the Technicolor finale, which includes Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in his feature film debut. All in all, Dixiana is a film which should please any fan of early talkies, as well as a few more people as well. Thanks for reading.

As other comments on this site will tell you, this film is either an "antique treasure" or a "pre- historic turkey" ...(that is so hilarious! I laughed for days at that description) .... well like many others in the warbling yelling cast, I shall declare my love for DIXIANA, albeit from 79 years away. I am quite fascinated with the period of 1927-1935 and to see this sumptuous RKO production filmed in late 1929 with its lavish Technicolor finale is a dream and a thrill at the same time.. (remember those dreams?). Also Bebe Daniels is simply awesomely beautiful. As a production it is massive and atmospheric... I read somewhere this film actually captures the deep south of the 1860s which I believed I could actually feel. Also the limelight vaudeville scenes at the hippodrome and the interiors of the steamy mansions with riverboats gliding by and willows overhanging transported me to that period quite effectively. The presence of Wheeler and Woolsey and their rudeness added many laughs... in fact in Australia most of their films were released on VHS tape and quite often they play on national television on the late late show. I have quite a few and in Sydney, HIPS HIPS HOORAY and MUMMY'S BOYS have been seen a lot....and DIPLOMANIACS is an absolute scream of a comedy just like DUCK SOUP. ..anyway in DIXIANA they almost overshadow the film. The 1929 sound is really loud and clear with some really lusty operatic singing and plenty of lavish sets and art direction to enjoy. The most constantly dazzling aspect to this expensive film are the costumes, in particular the many jaw-dropping gowns and the riotous Technicolor Mardi Gras finale. The added dancing (minus his feet!!!) of Bill Robinson is a cropped treat, but the color and the spectacular lavish set and dressings add the thrill of endless beauty back into the enjoyment most effectively. Yes DIXIANA is an antique treasure for me, so if you get to see it, watch it with someone who appreciates the elements listed above.

DIXIANA is a jumbled, messy early musical. The comic relief sections tend to be more lively than the central romance, which is only salvaged by the charm of Bebe Daniels, though your taste for non-screwball 1930s comedy will ordain how much you will or will not enjoy the movie as a whole. The drama is pure hokum, all about a circus performer falling for a rich heir to a plantation and trying to "leave him to save him from social disgrace"-- if you've seen a good deal of 1920s-1930s Hollywood movies, that plot and the characters found therein will be very familiar.

As an early talkie, the film has some fluid camerawork, such as a tracking shot through a gambling house, though the dialogue scenes are static. Apparently, the ending was shot in two-strip Technicolor, but the print I saw was all in black-and-white. As it was, the film ends quite abruptly anyway, so color would not have improved my feelings on this historically interesting but ultimately forgettable piece of movie history anyhow.

Wheeler and Woolsey musical comedy set in the pre-Civil War South is a mixed bag. The comedy duo are not the "stars" of the picture, rather that is Bebe Daniels. Wheeler and Woolsey are instead the comic relief and they do a good job of creating laughs. The plot concerns the pair attempting to make sure that the wedding of their sister goes off with out a hitch. Its a big scale musical of the kind they don't make any more.

The film is based on a Broadway show and while it is suitably spectacular at times it suffers from the problem many films of the time suffered from and that is an uncertainty of camera usage. Because of the sound equipment was noisy and large directors and studios were still struggling with how to shoot scenes or move a camera, here the camera is either moving nicely or painfully nailed down. Its a tough slog. Then again the film's operetta style music is really not my cup of tea.

If you like musicals its worth a try, especially if you're interested in the history of movie musicals.

(I do have to say that rarely have I ever felt a movie recreated a bygone era as well as this film does. Hollywood flourishes aside this film really does feel as if you're watching something from long ago in the deep south)