Sangaree

Wow, finally got my DVD copy of "Sangaree" just recently, and this is a top notch movie for it's time.....Fernando Lamas with the Ricky Ricardo accent, his voice and Desi Arnaz almost sounds exactly the same......story concerns the old south and Lamas being awarded the rights to a plantation and all of its wealth by a dying patriarch...... The family of two beautiful women, Arlene Dahl and Patricia Medina and Tom Drake (of "Meet me in St Louis" fame).....take no particular stance against Lamas, but a con artist doctor and his son do and challenge the will in court....Lamas prevails, but has to fight tyranny in old Savannah trying to protect the vast Darby empire from pirates and the plague.....con artist doctor Bristol tries to hide his warehouse from the public because it contains stolen contraband and is a haven for infested rats. Lamas organizes the town citizens and exposes corruption in old Savannah.......in the end he winds up with Nancy Darby, played by Arlene Dahl....for my money I would have taken the lovely Patricia Medina as a love interest...she was a staple in 50s costume dramas and as beautiful as they come. Have to wonder why this film was never released to video by Paramount....a top notch cast and a very good story. This is just one of lots of classics that have never gotten past the courts or whatever and been released to video....why??? It took over twenty years of legal wrangling before "The High and the Mighty" with John Wayne was released also. If you like good 50s costume dramas you will love "Sangaree"......

To my mind this is the most "Hollywood" of all the Golden Age 3-D titles I've seen so far. I mean that as a compliment, of course. It's sumptuous, vibrant, lusty, melodramatic, romantic, and it has exactly the characters (and actors playing them) you'd want in period genre fare like this: the macho matinee hero, the strong-willed heroine who starts out antagonistic but eventually comes to see things the hero's way, the hissable villains, the wildcard interlopers you're never too sure about.

At least two plot twists blind-sided me, which is always good. The script is sharp enough and the material sturdy enough to keep me invested through repeat screenings. It's a polished, colourful production that's typical of the kind of literary costume romp the Hollywood studio system used to deliver on a good day. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Fernando Lamas is so perfectly cast it's almost untrue. His speech at the court hearing more than convinced me of Carlos's intelligence and his moral compass. There's also a Flynn-like ironic touch to his bravado; he knows exactly what the material is and how this well-educated-yet-two-fisted character should be played.

Arlene Dahl is at her best when she's at her feistiest. She really lights up whenever a scene gets dramatic and tempers flare, though to be honest she's very good throughout. Like Rhonda Fleming and Eleanor Parker, those other underrated redheads, she's a far more accomplished actress than her cover girl looks might suggest.

Patricia Medina is one of the most gorgeous women I've ever seen. I think her character is the hardest to swallow, but she acquits herself admirably. This is a very competent cast indeed.

Numerous 3-D shots in Sangaree are strikingly composed. Two in the tobacco warehouse, umpteen at the ball, at least one in the courtroom, several crowd scenes indoors and outdoors, some views over the water: it's a varied and highly effective use of what was at the time a fledgling form of visual storytelling. Much has been made of the innovative early uses of sound, of colour, of the widescreen format, and the films that first managed to incorporate them seamlessly into the filmgoing experience. I'd place several 3-D shots from Sangaree alongside any moments from those in terms of seamlessness, artistry, and the sheer magic of experiencing a fresh dimension of cinema. Critics maintain that a 3-D film should be able to stand on its own without the extra dimension. Well, this one does, thank you very much, but it's so much more when viewed the way the filmmakers intended. All films should be afforded that right.

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.

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.

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.