Orizzonti di fuoco

Funny to see as the non-French people see the Legion Etrangère;generally in the French movies ,the hero has done something very wrong and takes refuge there;to be honest,it was the same in "Beau Geste" .Here ,the hero is unfairly charged with murder and sentenced to death and he takes refuge in civilian life.

William (Wilhem) Dieterle has a good knowledge of the French popular culture ;after all he did the best version of "Notre Dame De Paris" (The hunchback of Notre Dame ,1939)not to mention his Madame Du Barrry and his Pasteur biopics.Here in the fort,we can hear the Legion classic "As-Tu Vu la Casquette Du Père Bugeaud?" which I used to sing in nursery school (or is it my grandma who taught me the song?);the native brats sing "Cadet Rousselle" in English ;the hero's name is Morand ,the same as Pierre Benoit's legionnaire in "L'Atlantide" which was transferred to the screen several times ,even in the silent age.

The rebels who attack the fort are given the same treatment as those in Ford 's "lost patrol" (1934)or Julien Duvivier's "La Bandera" (1935):they are bastards,period.

The movie is too short and the ending is rather implausible,but it is quite entertaining and it's always a joy to see Loretta Young as the comforter angel.

1933's "The Devil's in Love" was yet another Fox entry in the French Foreign Legion adventures so popular at the time. Major Bertram (Robert H. Barrat) has just transferred his best doctor, Andre Morand (Victor Jory), to an outpost that means certain death, then ends up poisoned after taking some medication. Andre is quickly convicted of murder, but his good friend, Capt. Jean Fabien (David Manners), ensures his escape to Port Zamba, where he resumes his practice under the name Paul Vernay, gaining time to prove himself innocent before Chief of Police Radak (C. Henry Gordon) can find him. Both Victor Jory and Bela Lugosi (as well as C. Henry Gordon) had previously appeared in a 1930 Legion feature at Fox, "Renegades" (Jory's film debut), and had another connection for the same studio: Lugosi had played the fortune teller Tarneverro in 1931's Charlie Chan feature "The Black Camel," while in the 1941 remake "Charlie Chan in Rio," Jory played the role, now called Alfredo Marana. David Manners, from "Dracula" and "The Death Kiss," would work with Lugosi once more in 1934's "The Black Cat," while Loretta Young would actually work with Boris Karloff this same year, in "The House of Rothschild." Lugosi found steady employment at Fox prior to Dracula, but this one-shot return went unnoticed at the time; inexplicably, he receives no on-screen credit (for the last time), though it's clearly a showy part that served him well (about five minutes screen time). Wearing a bushy moustache and clad in military uniform, Bela's smug and confident prosecutor actually wins his case. Other impressive performances are essayed by J. Carrol Naish and Akim Tamiroff.

Victor Jory, a French Foreign Legion medic unjustly charged with murdering a superior officer, escapes the firing squad with the aid of best pal David Manners. He finds sanctuary in Loretta Young's mission and falls in love with her, not knowing that just a few months ago she was in Paris and met and became engaged to... David Manners! Other implausibilities and co-inky-dinks dot this sub-Hemingway nonsense, which also features the alleged comic relief of Herbert Mundin and Vivienne Osborne as Jory's old flame -- an independent-minded, self-sacrificing, and thoroughly admirable Bad Woman who makes the Latin Quarter of whatever North African outpost this is supposed to be look infinitely more fun than the virtuous surroundings of Young's mission. Young, required only to look pretty and play holier-than-thou, does so competently, and the director, William (still billed as "Wilhelm" at this point in his career) Dieterle, was always good for some striking compositions. It's also interesting to see Jory, usually in supporting and/or villainous roles, attempt a Gary Cooper-type hero. He's a little stolid and you're never aware of anything much going on in his head, but that would be asking a lot of a character drawn this broadly. An amiable time-waster with a pointless title, and it's fun to watch the audacious turns of plot and twists of fate pile up.

Victor Jory never became a major star. He is better known for later character roles than for his early leads. But he was very handsome and an excellent actor.

His love scenes with Loretta Young in this romantic adventure thriller are passionate. Their kisses look very real. And very modern.

Vivienne Osborne is a standout here also. She plays a woman with a reputation. But the character has a good heart.

The print I saw was not clear. But what a joy that rare movies like this are turning up! And they are, in some sort of watchable condition, still intact. This is nothing truly special. But if one is willing to sift through movies of its era with similarly intriguing titles, one is likely to find some suprtb movies.

The first five minutes might make you think that this will not be your cup of tea - a Foreign Legion story, no thanks but stick with it. It's a proper in-your-face, full blown melodramatic storytelling from a master filmmaker, master storyteller.

Besides the genuinely engrossing story (yes, even ninety years later it'll keep you glued) what's thoroughly outstanding is the fabulous photography. William Dierterle's German expressionist heritage - which he'd exhibit amazingly a few years later his HUNCHBACK OF NOTE DAME is thoroughly evident here. The lighting, the shadows, the use of light and dark to express the mood is beautifully employed in this exceptionally well made picture.

It's just shame that like a lot of films from Fox Film, it hasn't been that well preserved. This means that a lot of the subtlety of the photography which is virtually a character in itself is sometimes lost. It also means that you can't fully appreciate the utter gorgeousness of Loretta Young as well as you should. She was surely the prettiest actress in the world! Her part however isn't that demanding and is only secondary to Victor Jory who is exceptional in this. Yes, Victor Jory is the romantic lead.

The more early thirties pictures I see, the more I keep finding him - especially at Fox Films where he was one of their leading men. After Fox went belly up, his star status slipped and he became a supporting actor on countless movies and to my amazement I have only recently realised that he was Wilkerson in GONE WITH THE WIND.

In this he's the principled and stoic if somewhat sanctimonious hero but shows real depth of character - people like this did exist... or at least after watching his superb authentic performance you'll really believe they did. A shame that as Hollywood grew, there wasn't room for him at the top but you see so many 'big names' from the pre-code days with minor bit parts just a few years later. Fame was very transitory back then.