The Song of the Flame (1930)

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Director:

Alan Crosland

Writers:

Oscar Hammerstein II (book)
Otto A. Harbach (book)

Release Date:

25 May 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Plot:

This was a screen version of the 1925 operetta by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach, Herbert Stohart...

Plot Keywords:

Russia | Russian Revolution | Loss Of Virginity | 1910s | Lost Film

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Alexander Gray	...	Prince Volodya
Bernice Claire	...	Aniuta, The Flame
Noah Beery	...	Konstantin
Alice Gentle	...	Natasha
Bert Roach	...	Count Boris
Inez Courtney	...	Grusha
Shep Camp	...	Officer
Ivan Linow	...	Konstanin's Pal

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (2-strip Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Vitaphone (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

First National Pictures

Trivia:

In September 1928, Warner Bros. Pictures purchased a majority interest in First National Pictures and from that point on, all "First National" productions were actually made under Warner Bros. control, even though the two companies continued to retain separate identities until the mid-1930's, after which time "A Warner Bros.-First National Picture" was often used.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Booze Hangs High (1930)

Soundtrack:

Schtchedryck

Extant sound reels reveal good music/good sound

The five extant sound discs from this film reveal a very high quality Vitaphone sound - round, warm and clear with good sound effects and a quality reproduction of speaking and singing voices as well as orchestrations. It would seem it fully deserved its Oscar nomination for Best Sound.

Performance-wise Alexander Gray comes off as charming as usual- he made a handful of early talkies and proved himself a charming and handsome man, very much at ease. Sadly both his work in NO NO NANETTE and the pictorial portion of SONG OF THE FLAME is lost.

Bernice Claire in the lead has a babyish voice and poor dramatic ability -she sings well, but does not seem at home in talkies. Noah Beery as the villain is word perfect and pronounces so carefully that he lacks any dramatic vocal flair - an unnatural speaking voice with over careful diction.

The score is a marvelously operatic one. All nine songs are preserved in the sound disc performances. There were four choruses as well, three of traditional Russian folk tunes and one drawn from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker.

A delight to the ear - this "lost" operetta of the early days of talkies and film musicals.