Une femme survint

Flesh is the story of two people who would seem to be unlikely alliances. This is just one example of how films in the golden days of Hollywood center on character and how they relate to each other to further the plot rather than action or violence. There is something natural or humanely real and raw about this film. That's probably why it's called Flesh. But it's not centering on lust or sex, like today's films would, with Flesh for its title. This is about the basic need to give and receive love and acceptance to each other, even in the last place you'd look. If you're looking for an intelligent film about human relationships and don't mind the early 1930s look of black-and-white, this film shows Karen Morley, a vastly underrated actress and largely forgotten today, and Wallace Beery at their best. This could very well be Ms. Morley's finest hour in films. To not see this film would be missing a lesson in love.

Yes, it's a predictable, old fashioned, transparent soap opera, but there are things which keep you interested to the end.

Beery has a difficult task. Being a wrestler (he was no Mr. Universe), holding onto a German accent, and playing a slow witted character. He does it. He seems to be doing his own wrestling (I zoomed in with slow motion), his accent doesn't slip, and being dumb, as hard as can be to be performed..he carries it off with only a bit of his patented "Ain't I the lovable slob" shtick.

Morley nails it as a cynical, world weary woman eager to make the wrong choice in men. Cortez is at his best playing slick sociopaths, and he does it here again. Their performances keep you watching when Beery and his Germanic crew get too schmaltzy

Wallace Beery is Polakai, wrestler and beer garden worker. He befriends Laura (Karen Morley ), who just got out of prison. She has no money and no place to stay, so she stays with Polakai. And of course, he wants to marry her. But when her old boyfriend Nick (Ricardo Cortez) shows up, it throws a wrench into everybody's plans. Laura wants to have her cake and eat it too, as they used to say. How will this work out? How long can they take advantage of Polakai? This is good, but moves pretty slowly, until the big showdown match. Beery had just won the oscar for Champ. Directed by John Ford. Ford made all those films with John Wayne... won a bunch of oscars. Written by Edmund Goulding. Goulding directed Grand Hotel, Dark Victory. How did he not even get nominated for those??

Flesh (1932)

*** (out of 4)

John Ford's drama about an ex-con named Laura (Karen Morley) who gets released from prison with nothing and after stealing some food it appears she's going back until Polakai (Wallace Beery), a German wrestler, comes to her aid and soon takes her in. It doesn't take long for Polakai to fall in love but what he doesn't know is that Laura has a partner (Ricardo Cortez) in prison who is about to cause trouble. FLESH isn't the greatest film in Ford's career but I found it to be one of those unique ones that really doesn't get enough credit or any credit at all. It seems that all great directors like Ford, Hitchcock or Bergman have films that are special but they get overlooked because they don't quite measure up to the masterpieces. I think that's where FLESH falls in because while it's no where near the masterpiece of THE SEARCHERS, it's still a pretty unique movie on a number of levels. The best thing going for the picture is Beery who easily steals things. You'd think Beery playing a wrestler wouldn't be that much of a stretch but the actor brings so much to the role that you can't help but be impressed with him and fall for the character. Playing dimwitted is never easy and most actors fail but Beery perfectly nails it. Even better is the way he brings across this certainly level of feeling and emotion for everything that happens in the story. Morley is also extremely good in her part as she makes you believe everything you're watching. The chemistry between the two leads is quite remarkable. Cortez is also good in his supporting bit as is Jean Hersholt. The one problem is FLESH is that it's a tad bit too predictable and has one too many clichés but the performances and the look and tone Ford delivers makes it worth seeing.

Only really remembered these days because the Coen Brothers paid homage to it as the title of the screenplay being written by the title character in Barton Fink, Flesh is another nearly forgotten Ford film in his very busy 30s period that definitely doesn't deserve to be overlooked. It's a combination of drama and comedy that rather deftly integrated together with a winning central performance from Wallace Beery.

Beery plays Polakai, a German wrestler who meets the young American woman Laura (Karen Morley). She's alone in Germany, just released from a German jail, with no money and orders a plate of food she can't afford because she was expecting the associate of her imprisoned beau Nicky (Ricardo Cortez) to show up and help her. Polakai hears of her troubles as the manager of the restaurant is about to take her to the police and pays for her meal. Because she's still alone and without money, she latches onto him. He takes her back to his flat, offers her the bedroom, and retreats to his living room in wonderfully entertaining fashion. He's unable to get the lock of the door to work, so be breaks through the door and squeezes through to the other side.

Polakai is just a good guy, and he treats Laura extremely well. Giving her a place to live and food to eat. It's obvious that she is beginning to fall for him, but she can't quite throw herself at him. He may be a big, lovable lug, but she has a secret. Meanwhile, Polakai's friends decides to move to America, and they promise to send for Polakai when they are settled. At the same time, Laura discovers where Polakai hides his stash of cash and tries to steal it for Nicky to get him out of jail. Polakai discovers her, and she covers by saying that Nicky is her brother. Polakai, being a nice and gullible man, offers up the money for Nicky.

All of this is told in light fashion, using comedy and just the right amount of drama to sell Polakai's character. Karen Morley probably goes a bit too far into melodrama (especially in the film's final reel), but it's Wallace Beery's portrayal of the wonderfully good-natured Polakai that makes it work.

Nicky arrives, and then quickly skips out on Laura when she reveals to him that she got out of prison because she's pregnant with his child. That leaves her alone with Polakai, who has proposed to her several times. Together, as husband and wife, they head to America to pursue his ascending wrestling career. With a child and wife that he loves, he's ready to take on America. Nicky shows up again with an offer to manage Polakai, but Nicky takes Polakai directly into to seedier side of professional sports, introducing him to a gangster who wants Polakai to throw fights when necessary.

This is where the movie moves decidedly from a lightly comic telling of a story with a strong central character into a drama with Polakai needing to choose between his pride and providing for his family. He ends up taking the deal, happy to take part in the ascension to fame, but he knows that the fall is going to come at some point. The ending straddles the line between cliché, melodrama, and straight drama, but it's buoyed by Beery. His goodness carries him through his final challenges, mistakes, and fate.

The only thing keeping me back from giving this a full four stars is the final reel. Morley just goes too far into melodramatic acting, and the final plot turn goes from interestingly oblique to kind of tired. It's relatively minor stuff considering the whole of the picture but just enough to hold me back slightly in praise.

Outside of that, this is a surprisingly strong film. Confidently and quietly directed with a wonderful central performance and an ending that elegantly brings together everything in one place, Flesh is a completely forgotten film in Ford's output from the 30s that really does deserve some revisitation and re-evaluation.