Victor Fleming (1889–1949)

This swiftly paced film from the early 1930s has star power to burn and a story full of raw sensuality. For a director often viewed as a man's director, Victor Fleming elicits some strikingly feminine performances from Jean Harlow and more notably, Mary Astor. Remade in lusty fashion 21 years later by John Ford, with Gable in the lead again, that version has color and two gorgeous stars, in Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly. Yet the original edges it out, the difference being Astor — which might show more come as a surprise to those who only remember her from The Maltese Falcon. There is an aching and repressed sensuality in her performance that shows why she was considered such hot stuff, both on and off-screen. Her diaries published in 1936 caused quite a stir.

The story revolves around the rubber plantation deep in the jungle that Dennis Carson (Clark Gable) oversees. This is a man's world, harsh and unforgiving. Then in pops the wonderful and talky Vantine (Jean Harlow). Seeking haven till her lifestyle blows over and she can head back, she adds something new to the mix, but it’s nothing Dennis hasn't seen before. When he does finally come around, and takes advantage of what she's offering, she falls hard, caring about the man rather than his wallet. But Dennis drops her like a hot potato when his new surveyor, Gary Willis (Gene Raymond), shows up with his elegant wife Barbara in tow. Astor is gorgeous and Dennis begins to plot and scheme for her while her husband has the fever, Harlow watching and waiting for the outcome.

Tigers, rain, and the fever and a storm wear down Astor’s resistance, and then she can’t get it out of her mind. A rain-covered Astor is wonderfully — and perhaps surprisingly — sexy. Her Barbara’s sensual elegance seems ready to spill out uncontrollably if she can't get hold of herself. Astor is amazing here, as you can really feel the turmoil and fear she has of cheating on her sweet husband. All the while the wise and earthy Vantine waits for Dennis to do the right thing. Harlow is also terrific here, her sharp chatter masking a real love for Dennis. She hopes he'll come around, and be a better guy. But when he does come around, it might be too late, as passions have boiled over. Harlow's smarter than she looks Vantine might be fast enough on her feet to turn everything right though. Maybe…maybe not.

Photographer Harold Rosson and film editor Blanche Sewell make the set decor of Cedric Gibbons and costumes of Adrian look beautiful in a jungle filled with rain and danger, and seething passions. Fleming moves things at a lightning pace, with a cast of screen veterans like Tully Marshall and Donald Crisp lending support to John Mahin's screenplay. Such a good job was done here, that the story’s stage origins can hardly be detected. An outdoor adventure of hard men and what happens when women are thrown into the mix, Red Dust is a fabulous early sound film still enjoyable today. Harlow has the reputation, but wait till you get a load of Astor soaking wet! show less

A witch and a lost girl fight to the death over a sparkly pair of heels.

Whenever I watch this, I try to imagine what it would be like to see it for the first time. I can never tell, but I do usually notice things that have previously been invisible-due-to-familiarity. One thing I managed to pull out of it this time around was just how good a song and performance "Over the Rainbow" is. I mean, yeah, I've always known it's great, but this time it struck me how much it probably would have show more floored me if I'd never heard it before.

Concept: A
Story: B
Characters: A
Dialog: B
Pacing: A
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 3.6/4 show less

This movie is a classic for a reason, although a few parts of it have not aged well, especially with Miss Gulch. She's portrayed as a villain because... she didn't want Dorothy's stupid dog to bother her? I know that it was the 1930s and it wasn't uncommon to have dogs running loose on farms and etc but Dorothy was not a very responsible owner if she let Toto bother Miss Gulch multiple times.

Our DC-3 (NC18111) appears fleetingly in the movie.
REVIEW
Test Pilot is one of those irresistible MGM potboilers of the 1930s that coast along on sheer star power. Clark Gable plays a courageous test pilot, who compromises his achievements with his frequent bouts of drinking. Gable's mechanic, Spencer Tracy, does what he can to keep his boss out of trouble. While testing a new aircraft, Gable is forced to land on a Midwestern farm, where he meets and falls in love with Myrna Loy. Gable and show more Loy marry, whereupon he is fired by his boss Lionel Barrymore, who is of the opinion that flying and dames don't mix. Gable goes off on another bender, compelling Loy to leave him. Once more, Tracy comes to Gable's rescue by reuniting the couple and arranging for Barrymore to give Gable his job back. Later, Gable and Tracy are assigned to test a huge army bomber. Something goes wrong, and the plane goes into a dive. The self-sacrificing Tracy sees to it that Gable is saved from a flaming death--at the cost of his own life. Gable is so devastated by Tracy's death that it looks as though he'll never fly again. But with Loy's help, Gable regains his self-confidence. As one can see, there's little in Test Pilot that hasn't been done before. But with Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Myrna Loy at the controls, the film proved a real audience-pleaser in 1938. In fact, it's still pretty good today. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi show less