Antonius Block I should warn you up front that to like this movie, you'll have to overlook some serious racism, both in the horribly stereotypical portrayal of an Asian servant referred to as 'boy' (who unfortunately appears many times), as well as in the depiction of the native workers on a rubber plantation in Indochina as lazy and unintelligent 'coolies'. You will have to mentally block that out of your mind, stifle your disgust, or chalk it up to the times. There is also a fair bit of sexism as well.Clark Gable is in one of his usual roles, the tough guy with loose morals, and Jean Harlow is a prostitute he has a one-night stand with. The prim and proper Mary Astor and her sick husband Gene Raymond arrive on the plantation, and Gable has his eyes on her from the start. Harlow has returned as well, but instead of complicating things, her presence serves as sassy comic relief. Gable sends Raymond away on a difficult assignment so he can seal the deal with Astor, but the resulting affair brings about emotions that are hard for him to deal with – love with Astor, guilt towards Raymond. Harlow and Gable have good chemistry, but I thought it was matched (if not surpassed) by what he shares with Astor. Harlow of course has the famous scene bathing in a rain barrel, but the scene which has Gable carrying Astor through monsoon rains and then kissing her for 17 seconds is far steamier. It's the rain barrel that drew all of the attention, however, and Harlow's natural charm does shine through. The dialog is engaging and this is a good pre-Code picture that will hold your attention. Just be prepared to cringe at times because of the racism.

utgard14 Wonderful pre-Code film with Clark Gable playing a rubber plantation owner in Indochina. Jean Harlow plays a prostitute that becomes an unwanted visitor of Gable's. Unwanted for a little while, at least. She is Jean Harlow, after all! Then an engineer arrives at the plantation along with his wife (Mary Astor). Gable quickly takes an interest in Astor, tossing Harlow aside.This movie would make the career highlight reel of all involved. Good script and solid performances from all. Gable is at his charmingly gruff best. Harlow is sexy, fun, and very likable. Possibly my favorite role of hers. Astor is quite good, too. Even Gene Raymond works well and I usually can't stand him. This was remade as "Mogambo," directed by John Ford. It also stars Gable but with Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly and the setting moved to Africa. It's not as good as this one but still worth checking out. This one, though, is a classic that everybody should see.

dizozza It is problematic to identify with a reprehensible leading man, and that's the worthwhile opportunity this movie affords. Clark Gable plays an interesting character, an able and capable master of an unsupervised and inhospitable domain. I used to think Mr. Gable was a one-tone actor. He's far more multi-layered when teamed with Jean Harlow, and she's too smart and articulate for words. The three person dynamic of her always near Gable and Mary Astor is charming and even funnier since Gable takes it as a given. The sound recording technique still seems new in this movie so I miss some of the casually spoken dialog, but whenever I catch more of it, it is always a riot. The atmosphere is detailed and perfect. There is so much to see. The movie looks like it's leading toward tragedy; what a pleasure to arrive at a comedy payoff...Mary Astor is quite beautiful too, and in thinking back I suggest she's entitled to some sympathy and justification, since she succumbs to a man shifting his weight in an isolated position of a power. Anyway, let her and her husband (Gene Raymond) live the hypocrisies of civilized society... Bring those rubber trees to Fordlandia!

calvinnme The setting is the tropics of Indochina, a rubber plantation to be specific. Dennis Carson (Clark Gable) is the owner of the rubber plantation, beset by the constant troubles - both human and natural - of running such a farm in a primitive place. Constantly surrounded by men, one day Dennis finds he has double trouble on his hands. First the prostitute Vantine (Jean Harlow) is foisted upon him because she is giving the law a wide berth due to her profession, and this looks like a nice secluded spot to lay low. Vantine actually falls for Dennis - she playfully calls him Fred - however, Dennis just thinks he is another john and that it's all in a day's work to Vantine.To add to his troubles, Dennis' new surveyor brings his wife, Barbara, along (Mary Astor), and the only place fit for a woman to live is in Dennis' home. Dennis sends the surveyor on a long stay in the jungle "to increase production", but he really just wants some alone time with Barbara, and Barbara returns the sentiment. Before her husband returns from the jungle Dennis and Barbara have fallen in love, but do they have the heart to tell her young husband? Watch and find out.There really is not much of a plot in this film other than to give a steamy lusty setting to a steamy lusty tale. This is a precode film, but if you analyze it frame by frame it is completely tame by today's standards. Even given the freedom of the precode era there were limits as to what could be shown, and thus almost everything is insinuated and it is up to the viewer to mentally project what happens. To me, this makes this film very erotic versus the biology lessons of today's films that show everything. Of course you do have some great visual cues, mainly Harlow's on-the-level prostitute bouncing about Dennis' home scantily clad and of course there's Harlow's famous bath in a rain barrel scene. Mary Astor's prim and proper Babs is a great contrast to Harlow's character as she gets swept up in events bigger than herself - her affair with Dennis - yet still seems to act like she thinks she's better than Vantine. Vantine's catty remarks, as she is hurt by Dennis' rejection of her, are classic Harlow all the way.This is one of my favorite precode films, and I heartily recommend it to anybody who enjoys films from the precode era.