Well, let's see. The most noble and celebrated person of this movie was a Confederate soldier who fought alongside Robert E. Lee. After him was the love interest and the only pretty girl in town. She had a mammie (Louise Beavers) who she playfully kicked and dragged around in her games. I'm sure this movie was just like real life--whenever a mammie's mistress was happy she was happy.
And if you believe that then you can get bent.
"Wild Girl" took place in the sequoias in California just after the Civil War. There were a lot of different characters of which it seemed half of them were lusting after Salomy Jane (Joan Bennett). Apparently she was the only desirable girl for miles.
None could land her except the soldier boy (Charles Farrell). He won her over by killing Phineas Baldwin (Morgan Wallace), resident creep and attempted rapist. When Salomy found out that the soldier killed Baldwin she fell in love (which was very common in 1930's movies). Without knowing anything further about him she was ready to die for him.
He had to be good if good ol' Salomy loved him.
This movie was indicative of a lot of the movies of this era that I have a problem with. The moral compass is off with regards to treatment of people, and the people fell in love too quickly. And it wasn't just that they fell in love, they fell in love and got married before vetting as though the gooey feeling they were mistaking for love was a substitute for getting to know someone.
This was a clumsy dumb romance in which a thief was hanged and a killer was able to escape because he was in love with the pretty girl. These old movies exasperate me and I have a lot of patience. I don't criticize the cinematic quality, the dialogue, or even the acting, but these plots and these characters slay me. I can't get over the attitudes, mores, and behavior of that era, especially when I have known people who were teens and young adults then. I try to give these movies a lot of latitude, yet I find myself cringing more often than not.
Free on YouTube.
And if you believe that then you can get bent.
"Wild Girl" took place in the sequoias in California just after the Civil War. There were a lot of different characters of which it seemed half of them were lusting after Salomy Jane (Joan Bennett). Apparently she was the only desirable girl for miles.
None could land her except the soldier boy (Charles Farrell). He won her over by killing Phineas Baldwin (Morgan Wallace), resident creep and attempted rapist. When Salomy found out that the soldier killed Baldwin she fell in love (which was very common in 1930's movies). Without knowing anything further about him she was ready to die for him.
He had to be good if good ol' Salomy loved him.
This movie was indicative of a lot of the movies of this era that I have a problem with. The moral compass is off with regards to treatment of people, and the people fell in love too quickly. And it wasn't just that they fell in love, they fell in love and got married before vetting as though the gooey feeling they were mistaking for love was a substitute for getting to know someone.
This was a clumsy dumb romance in which a thief was hanged and a killer was able to escape because he was in love with the pretty girl. These old movies exasperate me and I have a lot of patience. I don't criticize the cinematic quality, the dialogue, or even the acting, but these plots and these characters slay me. I can't get over the attitudes, mores, and behavior of that era, especially when I have known people who were teens and young adults then. I try to give these movies a lot of latitude, yet I find myself cringing more often than not.
Free on YouTube.