Chanson païenne

Woody Van Dyke captained an entire MGM crew for a location shooting in Tahiti for The Pagan where Ramon Novarro made his sound debut. This film was done like Warner Brothers The Jazz Singer where it was silent except for Al Jolson's musical numbers and some introductory dialog to one of them.

Novarro looked properly exotic and did exhibit a pleasant singing voice when he sang one of the first songs ever written expressly for the screen, Nacio Herb Brown's and Arthur Freed's The Pagan Love Song which was a big hit in 1929. Novarro sang in a few of his sound films after The Pagan.

Ramon plays a half Caucasian, half Tahitian lad who owns some land and a store courtesy of his white father, but prefers the lazy life the natives enjoy. Donald Crisp is a white trader with young native ward Dorothy Janis. Novarro and she are attracted to each other, but Crisp wants her brought up as a proper Christian and doesn't want her associating with her own kind. Actually he's got quite the yen himself for her.

At the same time The Pagan was being filmed Rain was on stage in the legitimate theater. The influence that W. Somerset Maugham's classic about the South Seas and particularly that of the character of Reverend Davidson on Crisp's screen persona is unmistakable.

Woody Van Dyke did a fine job of direction with his cast which also included Renee Adoree. He would soon be going to Africa for a trouble plagued shoot in Trader Horn, probably on the success he had bringing in this film shot in faraway places.

The Pagan holds up well and it's a piece of screen history besides.

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.

On a picturesque South Seas island, "half-caste" handsome Ramon Novarro (as Henry Shoesmith Jr.) sunbathes on his coconut plantation. Rather than develop the wealth on his estate, Mr. Novarro likes to sing, laugh, and bask in the sunshine. His rendition of "Pagan Love Song" attracts pretty Polynesian Dorothy Janis (as Tito), who is likewise "half white". Ms. Janis tells Novarro, "Your song nice, your face nice, too." The pair frolic romantically, but Janis' guardian is wicked white businessman Donald Crisp (as Roger Slater), who cheats Novarro out of his land, and lusts after his nubile ward...

This late term silent film is nicely preserved, and includes its original "synchronized sound effects" soundtrack. The score, as you'll hear, beautifully matches the lush island location. "The Pagan" found Novarro reaching a new peak of popular appeal, and helped propel him into the "talkie" era. His singing voice recorded well; soon, MGM learned their stars' accents did not concern audiences, who responded to rich speaking voices of all types. Director W.S. Van Dyke and cameraman Clyde De Vinna, who worked together on "White Shadows in the South Seas" (1928), were at their best.

The story seems, in hindsight, to be daring for the time; its balance favors naturalistic Paganism over hypocritical Christianity, but Novarro and the studio easily put "The Pagan" over the top. Of course, the film does not attack religion; the villain is hypocrisy, portrayed as perverted "Christian duty" by Mr. Crisp. Renée Adorée, an leading actress on a career slide, is given a good supporting role as a tarnished white outcast who helps Novarro and Janis. Unfortunately, Ms. Adorée didn't live long enough for a talking pictures success, and the promisingly beautiful Janis soon retired.

******** The Pagan (4/27/29) W.S. Van Dyke ~ Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Janis, Donald Crisp, Renee Adoree

This short and sweet silent film stars one of the brightest stars of the era, Ramon Novarro. Novarro's trademark energy is channeled into a great performance as a half white half native on an island where he is not accepted by everyone. He is a wealthy man but would rather spend his time lounging in the sun eating bananas and coconuts than doing business. He meets a beautiful native girl named Tito (Dorothy Janis), half white and half native like himself. However, she is restricted by her benefactor, a hypocrite Christian businessman (Donald Crisp) who wants to train her to be white. The natives begin to have a love affair much to the chagrin of the wealthy benefactor and a prostitute (Renée Adorée) who is in love with Novarro.

As a silent made after the talkies swept entertainment, this film features a recorded soundtrack with sung music and sound effects. Sometimes the lips do not match the recording, but the track works quite well with illustrating the story.

I love this movie! I've seen it about four times, and every time I see it, Ramon Novarro gets cuter and cuter. He portrays the lazy and carefree islander to perfection, and Renee Adoree's performance is as heartbreaking as that in THE BIG PARADE. As a big fan of Donald Crisp, and used to his roles as kindly father figures, the lech he portrays in this film is a bit jarring, but he does an admirable job, considering he was really a big-hearted marshmallow. One of the greatest films in the twilight of the silent era.