Sangari

One commenter said Sangaree was noted for nothing more than its 3-D effects. Another said it was a dull turkey. I disagree. What I discovered when viewing it on TV years ago, was a charming period-piece set in a most charming venue: Savannah! The charm was no doubt bolstered by my having just moved to Savannah when I first saw the film. But the filming is magnificent, in my humble opinion. A little artistic in its backgrounds, perhaps, but nonetheless charming, and at least one charming film about Savannah needs to endure, so looks likt this one is it. The color, sets, scenery, and costuming are magnificent, and the photography and editing are cleaqr and consistent.

To instantly pooh-pooh this classic film on dubious technical claims, is unfair. Everyone who likes romance, history, Americana, and beautiful filming should see this movie. The emotional tone is often laid back and relaxing, but that was the way of life in the sunny old South.

And what fine casting! Moreover, Arlene Dahl is - in my opinion - the only non-Southern actress who could really do a Southern accent... ( and she was from Minnesota, no less!)

The mere word "Sangaree" will forever carry me back to the charm and grace of fine old Savannah.

Sangaree ranks right up there with my favorite nostalgic films.

The film Sangaree (1953) is one of those romantic-drama films in which everything happens: romance, deaths, murders, betrayals, fights, etc... The screenplay is based on a book that has the same title as the film, published in 1948 (first edition), and written by the American writer and physician Frank G. Slaughter. The performance of many actors in the film is quite exaggerated and unconvincing of the roles they play and, in addition, the story is very soap opera like and melodramatic, even bordering on the pathetic in some parts and, sometimes, even being annoying, but not so much considering I watched the movie all the way through.

Frank Slaughter's books focused heavily on medical practices of the eras in which the stories were written, adventure, and romance (usually involving 3 persons, and unrequited for the main character until the end. This movie had the 3rd, next to nothing of the others. Read the book. You'll learn something, and you'll be better entertained than after this hour and a half pretense.

This is a very rare film of the early fifties, from Paramount Pictures and directed by Eddie Ludwig, the master of adventure yarns with Lewis R Foster for this studio. It doesn't take place in exotic settings but it remains very glamourous, helped a lot with the presence and performance of Fernando Lamas and his future wife in real life Arlene Dahl. If you crave for film of this period, don't miss this one. There were lots of features speaking of the American Revolution and spying around it; for instance John Sturges' SCARLET COAT. But there was not such charm as in this Paramount film.

I saw this one last night pretty much not knowing anything about it except that it was in 3-D and that it starred Fernano Lamas---He even says to someone in the film "You Look Fabulous!!" (as opposed to You Look Marvellous!) I really only saw it because there was absolutely nothing else around that i really wanted to see (which is extremely rare) and i didn't wanna go home just yet so i plunked down the money and took a chance on this----and it was actually a fun watch! Fernando is a poor doctor in Georgia in the 1780's i would say---(he was the son of servants and the rich man who was his parents' boss for some reason paid for him to go to med school on the condition that he return and be his doctor should he need one)Fernando is called back to the place he grew up where the man who was his benefactor when he was younger is dying and leaves Fernando as the heir to his estate and to tend to his various properties which seem to make up most of the town!

Needless to say most of the townspeople--and the actual blood daughter of the rich benefactor are ill at ease with this---The Daughter actually tries to sue him using the claim that her father wasn't in his right mind when he made that arrangement. Fernando's skills as a doctor,(the town is facing a plague epidemic) as a brawler (he gets into a couple of fistfights at the local bar and wards off some pirates who wanted to steal something or other) and as a suave, good humored guy with an accent cheesier than Kraft eventually wins the townspeople over--and wins the heart of Nancy (the blood daughter of his benefactor and it should be pointed out--actual rightful heir.) Movie actually has a lot of funny one liners played completely straight and deadpan--Fernando says to Nancy at one point half kiddingly "you're a woman--and you think like a woman" (the 2 of them spend at least half the movie sniping at each other which then becomes love of course!--when they first see each other she even bites his lip after kissing him "i wanted to give you something you're gonna remember" she purrs to him...when he sees her again a little later he kisses her gloved hand and then bites it for good measure. Given random moments like these throughout, I believe the film knew exactly how it was playing as.) Because of its sense of humor and to be honest a lot of that comes from Fernando himself although Arlene Dhal gives as good as she gets as Nancy----the movie manages to be quite watchable and even somewhat fun. No you won't remember it the morning after, i barely even remembered it on the ride home after--but if you're in the mood for a light hearted somewhat fun romantic-comedy southern Gothic costume post-revolutionary war epic this would definitely fit the bill.